Kingston, Jamaica: The task to select the 13 Parish Festival Queens begun in the Hanover capital Lucea at Rusea’s High School on Saturday June 1 with the staging of the Miss Hanover Festival Queen Coronation. It proved to be the perfect platform for educator and contestant number 9, Sornia Samuels, to parade her skills, as she wooed the crowd and the judges to walk away with three sectional prizes and the title of Miss Hanover Festival Queen 2024.

Wearing the sash Miss JDA Shipping and Construction, Samuels emerged as one of the clear front-runner from very early in the evening’s proceedings. The writing was on the wall after the sectional prizes were announced, with Samuels copping all of three of six on offer – Best Performer, Most Culturally Aware and Most Active in the Community.

Briana Johnson (Miss Deveena's Final Touch Beauty Palace) was the first runner up to the Queen, and Natalia Evans (Miss Maryland CDC) emerged as the second runner up.

Reflecting on her victory, Samuels, an early childhood educator at Orange Bay Preparatory and Kindergarten School, expressed her joy despite an initial attack of nerves. She shared that the win held deep personal significance for her and emphasized her happiness at emerging victorious.

 “I started out nervous and then something just clicked and I became really confident … I’ve never been this confident before, and here I am. I was just backstage after my talent piece and had a little talk with myself, reminding Sornia to remember her purpose. I was inspired to enter the Competition because of my body type. I wanted females and males out there who are plus-sized to know they can do anything they set their mind to.” she noted.

As she begins her preparation for the National Finals, Samuels is grateful for the opportunity given by the organisers of the event, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).

“I am looking forward to the National Finals but I just want to thank the JCDC for this opportunity. I really do appreciate it and I am going to make JCDC Hanover very proud,” said Samuels.

Despite threatening showers earlier in the day and a light drizzle towards the end of the showcase, the brilliance of the performances on stage proved to be a treat for the audience which gathered to witness the finals.

The show opened with the contestants performing a folk dance choreographed by Shaurna Miller, Culture Agent and Teacher at Green Island High School. This segued into the introduction of the nine finalists, all elegantly dressed to depict African queens, followed shortly thereafter by the eagerly anticipated talent section of the competition.

 The talented contestants entertained with performances in dance, music, dub poetry and dramatic presentations. For her award-winning performance Samuels ventured into dub poetry with an empowering female rally cry entitled ‘Woman Caan Cry Cree’.

From there the contestants paraded in evening wear after which the field was whittled down to five – Samuels, Johnson, Evans joined by Abbriel Nicholson (Miss Tan Tan Sweet Bite) and Khaliya Trench (Miss FrenzforLife).

Samuels exuded confidence during the question-answer segment. When asked about her female icon, she immediately pointed to the highly decorated Jamaican track star Shericka Jackson. Samuels emphasized Jackson's transition from the 400 meters to the 100 and 200-meter sprints as a testament to determination, resilience, and the ability to start over and achieve success.

The other sectional prize winners were Most Congenial - Fadian Gordon, Most Poised – Briana Johnson and Most Popular on Social Media – Abbriel Nicholson.

In addition to  the crown, title, and opportunity to represent Hanover at the national finals, Samuels also walked away with a cash prize of $150,000; a trophy and a slew of gift  baskets and other prizes.

The twelve remaining parishes are scheduled to crown their Queens by the end of June ahead of the Grand National Coronation on August 3, 2024 in Kingston.

 St. Elizabeth, St. Thomas and St. Ann are next in line.

The St. Elizabeth and St. Thomas Coronations are both set for Saturday, June 8, 2024, starting at 8:00 p.m. The ceremony in St. Thomas will be held at the Colonel Cove complex in Morant Bay, while St. Elizabeth's event will take place at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) Auditorium in Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, St. Ann's coronation is scheduled for Sunday, June 9, 2024, at the Holiday Haven Condo Resort in Runaway Bay, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The shows are free and open to the public.

This year's competition theme is 'The Jamaican Woman: Creativity beyond Boundaries'.