The Tribune

THE COST of entry to this year’s Miss Bahamas pageants has been cut by 50 per cent as a reflection of “tough economic times, the organisers have announced.”

The fee has been halved to $500 from $1,000 and candidates will also have to meet additional requirements, the Miss Bahamas Organisation (MBO) announced in a statement on Sunday.

MBO President Michelle Malcolm said that the change in policy comes in the wake of tough economic times, in which contestants and directors have experienced difficulty in securing sponsorship.

“We know that these are tough times, and our district directors and their candidates have really been facing an uphill battle while trying to secure sponsorship,” she said. “So we put our heads together and came up with a way to lighten the load without compromising the value of the pageant system and all that we offer to the young ladies.

“We have decreased the entry fee amount which has to be paid up front, however the young ladies entering the pageant will now be required to do a bit more when it comes to soliciting ads for our 10th anniversary commemorative competition guide.”

Miss Malcolm revealed that talks to alleviate costs for contestants in other areas of the competition as well are going on.

“We want the best of the best competing in Miss Bahamas,” she said. “And all too often we are hearing that a candidate who could have been a strong contender for a title is withdrawing because she couldn’t find a sponsor. Hopefully this move will encourage more of them to enter or stay in the competition because they won’t have the headache of trying to come up with so much money up front.”

The Miss Bahamas pageants - for Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Earth - are scheduled for August 30 at at the Atlantis Theatre on Paradise Island.

The organisers said that “young ladies who aspire to become a national beauty ambassador” can still enter this year’s competitions at www.missbahamas.net.