The Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition and the Jamaica Gospel Star Competition have both had their entry deadlines further extended to facilitate a stream of last minute entrants who are hopeful to be a part of Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, says the competitions’ organizer the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).
The Jamaica Gospel Star Competition will now close for entries on Friday, April 22, while the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition will close on Saturday, April 30, with both competitions accepting entries online at the JCDC’s website www.jcdc.gov.jm.
According to JCDC Interim Executive Director, Ms. Lillian Reid, the entry deadline extension was prompted by an influx of interest from the public regarding joining the Jamaica 60 Independence Celebrations following a “last call” for entries made earlier this week.
“We had previously announced to the public that we were extending the entry deadlines for two of our most popular and beloved competitions, the Festival Queen and Gospel Star Competitions until shortly after the Easter Holidays, and in turn we received an influx of interest from persons who begged us to ‘hold the gate’ a little longer so that they wouldn’t miss the ‘Independence Bus’,” Ms. Reid said.
“And while we would love to continue ‘holding the gate’ until every single talented and worthy Jamaican has submitted their entry, we ensured that these new deadlines will still allow us to maintain the standard of our competitions and their adjudication process,” Ms. Reid continued, while further noting that both programmes are key highlights of the upcoming Jamaica 60 Independence Celebrations and would see entrants and winners being cemented in Jamaica’s cultural history.
A staple of the annual Independence roster for over five decades, the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition is currently seeking empowered young women between the ages of 18 and 25, who are intelligent, culturally-aware, poised and are looking for a platform to make their contributions to nation building, while representing their parish as the next Miss Jamaica Festival Queen.
The Jamaica Gospel Star Competition has a weekly televised elimination show that sees contestants trying to out-sing each other with their favorite Gospel cover songs is returning to the Independence roster for a second season. The sing-off Competition, which allows an at home audience to vote for their favourite Gospel Star, is a rebrand of the iconic Jamaica Gospel Song Competition. For over three (3) decades, the Competition has launched the careers of some of Jamaica most notable Gospel Artistes and Song Writers who were required to enter the competition with an original song.
Photo Caption:
2021 Jamaica Gospel Star Winner, Erica Lumsden receives her winning trophy from the Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport at the Competition’s televised grand final during the annual Independence celebrations last August.
