Miss Grand United States Virgin Islands
 | |
| Formation | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Miami |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss Grand International |
Official language | English |
National director | Brian Javier |
Parent organization |
|
| Website | grandusvirginislands.store |
Miss Grand US Virgin Islands is a national beauty pageant title awarded to women chosen to represent the US Virgin Islands at the Miss Grand International contest.[1] The title was first awarded in 2014 when a 24-year-old Stateside Puerto Rican, Wilma Echandy, was appointed to represent the US Virgin Islands in Miss Grand International 2014 in Thailand.[1] Under the directorship of Brian Javier, the first contest of Miss Grand US Virgin Islands was expected to be held in March 2024.[2]
From 2014 to 2015, the license to send US Virgin Islands representatives for Miss Grand International belonged to the national pageant named Miss US Paradise,[1] which was headed by Cyndee Frontal, and the main winners were sent to Miss World in that particular year.[3] The license was then transferred to Miss Grand United States founder Chantel Martínez and Miss Universe US Virgin Islands organizer Lulu Orange in 2017 and 2018, respectively.[4]
Since their first competition in 2014, the US Virgin Islands' representatives have never secured any placements on the international stage of Miss Grand International.[1][5][6][7]
History[edit]
The United States Virgin Islands made its debut at Miss Grand International in 2014 when the director of Miss US Paradise, Cyndee Frontal, acquired the license and subsequently appointed a Puerto Rican American model, Wilma Echandy, to compete internationally in Thailand,[1] but Echandy went unplaced.[1][8] In the following year, former Miss World United States Virgin Islands 2013, Petra Cabrera, was assigned by the same licensee to compete and also was unplaced.[9][5] The partnership between Miss US Paradise and Miss Grand International was later terminated in 2016.
After an absence in 2016, the license was purchased by the Miss Grand United States director, Chantel Martínez, who assigned the first runner-up of Miss Grand United States 2017, Brianna Key, to join the 2017 international stage in Vietnam.[10] The license was then transferred to the Miss Universe US Virgin Islands in the following years and the vice-miss of such a contest was sent internationally.[4]
No United States Virgin Islands representatives competed in Miss Grand International from 2019 to 2022 due to a lack of licensees. However, the USVI returned in the 2023 competition in Vietnam, under the directorship of Brian Javier.[11]
Edition[edit]
The first edition of the Miss Grand United States Virgin Islands pageant was held on March 25, 2024.[2]
| Edition | Date | Venue | Entrant | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | March 25, 2024 | CUZ Miami Venue, Doral, Florida, United States | 8 | Samantha Keaton | [2][12] |
International competition[edit]
The following is a list of the United States Virgin Islands' representatives at the Miss Grand International contest.
| Year | Representative | Original national title | Competition performance | National director | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placement | Other awards | |||||
| 2014 | Wilma Echandy | Queen of Puerto Rico 2012 | Unplaced | — | Cyndee Frontal | [1][3] |
| 2015 | Petra Cabrera | Miss U.S. Paradise World 2013 | Unplaced | — | [5][9][13] | |
| 2017 | Brianna Key | 1st runner-up Miss Grand United States 2017 | Unplaced | — | Chantel Martínez | [6][10] |
| 2018 | Morgan Evans | 1st runner-up Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands 2018 | Unplaced | — | Lulu Orange | [4][7][14] |
| 2023 | Heather Thompson | Finalist Miss Grand United States 2019[15] | Unplaced | — | Brian Javier | [11][16] |
| 2024 | Samantha Keaton | Miss Grand United States Virgin Islands 2024 | TBA | TBA | [12] | |
- Gallery
-
Wilma Echandy
Miss Grand US Virgin Islands 2014 -
Petra Cabrera
Miss Grand US Virgin Islands 2015 -
Heather Thompson
Miss Grand US Virgin Islands 2023 -
Shriya Boppana
Miss Grand US Virgin Islands 2024 1st Runner Up
National finalists[edit]
The following list is the national finalists of the Miss Grand US Virgin Islands pageant, as well as the competition results.
2024–present : City and sub-district representatives[edit]
Eight contestants competed in the pageant's first edition held in Doral, Florida, the United States.[17]
| ||||||||||||
Year Represented
|
2024[12][17] |
|---|---|
| Barrett | Emma Knapp (Withdrew)
|
| Christiansted | Shriya Boppana (1st RU)
|
| Cinnamon Bay | Sonika Komal (Top 5)
|
| Coral Bay | Samantha Keaton (Winner)
|
| Frederiksted | Brianna Lopez |
| Kingshill | Rebecca Arianna |
| Red Hook | Kathyria Burgos |
| Reef Bay | London Tucker (2nd RU)
|
| Saint Thomas | Alayzia Christopher (Top 5)
|
| Water Island | Layel Hamchou (Withdrew)
|
| Total | 8 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g "Otra boricua en Miss Grand International que niega la patria" (in Spanish). El Nuevo Día. 8 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Miss Grand USVI 2024". grandusvirginislands.store. 2024. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Miss U.S. Paradise Whitney Carter leaves for Miss World 2010 in Sanya". www.whatsonsanya.com. 2 October 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Major Announcement: The MUUSVI Team is happy to announce that we are bringing the opportunity to compete in the Miss Grand International pageant back to the U.S. Virgin Islands! Effective immediately, the first runner-up of the Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands pageant will be awarded the Miss Grand U.S. Virgin Islands title". Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Lệ Quyên bất ngờ "trắng tay" tại Miss Grand International 2015". Dantri.com.vn (in Vietnamese). 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Ngắm Top 20 Miss Grand International 2017 nóng bỏng với phần thi bikini" (in Vietnamese). Voice of Vietnam. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Meenakshi Chaudhary from India wins 1st runner-up title at Miss Grand International 2018". Times of India. 25 October 2018. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Arvin Ello (6 October 2014). "Miss Cuba is Miss Grand International 2014". www.vintersections.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Nhiều thí sinh 'Hoa hậu Hòa bình Quốc tế' bị chê xấu". Baodautu.vn (in Vietnamese). 17 October 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Miss US Virgin Islands, Miss Puerto Rico arrive in Vietnam". Voice of Vietnam. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ a b Berkat Prima (23 August 2023). "7 Potret Miss Grand Kepulauan Virgin AS 2023 Heather Marie, Comeback!" (in Indonesian). IDM Times. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Á hậu Mỹ đăng quang Hoa hậu Hòa bình đảo US Virgin". Tiền Phong. 28 March 2024. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "Kyrelle Thomas To Represent Territory At Miss World". 5 November 2016. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Trang phục dân tộc độc đáo tại Miss Grand International" (in Vietnamese). VNExpress. 13 October 2018. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Miss Grand New York". www.autumnmoonportraits.com. 5 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ Chavely Chiroque; Carol Ruiz; Richard Gomero (25 October 2023). "Luciana Fuster ganó el Miss Grand International 2023: sencillez y glamour en su paso por el concurso de belleza". www.infobae.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Miss Grand US Virgin Islands 2024 contestants". grandusvirginislands.store. January 2024. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
External links[edit]
Media related to Miss Grand United States Virgin Islands at Wikimedia Commons