THE SEARCH for Miss Rwanda 2022 inches closer! The pageant organisers have alerted young women aspiring to battle for the crown to get ready, after announcing that registration to join the race begins on December 23. The annual beauty contest seeks to crown a young woman who outshines the rest based on beauty, brain and culture overall. Last year’s edition was conducted virtually under stringent conditions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the public was not allowed to attend the contest from auditions to the grand finale. Only a small number of individuals from the organising team, press to judges and mentors were able to follow the contest in the bubble. However, according to organisers, there are high chances that auditions will be carried out physically as has been the case in previous editions where the judges tour different parts of the country for the selection of aspirants who meet the beauty contest’s criteria. “We want to take the auditions closer to the community so no young woman misses out the chance to contest,” said Dieudonne Ishimwe, the brains behind Miss Rwanda Organisation. Some additional prizes are expected ahead of this year’s edition where at least each of the contestants who will pass the auditions will be recognised while Miss Heritage will be awarded cash prize, just as was the case for the most talented contestant and a contestant with ‘Most Innovative project’ last year. Ishimwe told this publication that more prizes will be brought on table for contestants as the pageant grows to ensure that young women are empowered through the contest. “We expect that at least each contestant who participates gets recognised because our goal is to empower young women. It’s what the pageant is there for,” he said. “This year’s edition will be held under the theme to ‘communicate the impact of Miss Rwanda’ because we want to open more rooms for young women to be positively impacted and empowered,” he added. The criteria to contest for Miss Rwanda 2022 will, alongside prizes, be communicated during the launch of the new edition on December 23.
