Sterling tackles the world

Styleweek, Caribbean FashionWeek, Miss Jamaica World, Miss Jamaica Universe, Miss Universe, have all proven wonderful spectacles.

Now it is time for another beauty pageant to match up.

On September 26, eyes will turn to western Jamaica, and to the Grand Palladium in particular, for the staging of this year's Miss Global International.

This year has been good for beauty pageants in Jamaica and the competitions seem to be producing models of unvarying good quality. It's time to see if Miss Global International, as it has in the past, will produce the same kind of quality.

The pageant, originally called the Miss Commonwealth Beauty Pageant, began with 17 girls. Those girls could come from any Commonwealth country but, with the success of the event, that soon changed.

Worldwide appeal

Today, the pageant is open to contestants from all over the world, and the change of name was made to allow for that.

Seventeen contestants across the world have already been confirmed for the 2010 staging.

The international flavour that Miss Global International has taken on has forced a move from Kingston and St Andrew, where it was originally held, to Montego Bay.

According to Lachu Ramchandani, the main organiser of the event, the move was made because the pageant could better benefit the efforts of tourism in Jamaica.

Among those who will compete for the 2010 title is this year's Miss Global Jamaica, Shereen Sterling.

The 23-year-old Sterling topped a group of 27 contestants in February to book her place in the competition.

There, she will face off against models from New Zealand, The Bahamas, Canada, Zimbabwe, Cape Verde, Egypt, Nigeria, Liberia, The British Virgin Islands, Haiti, The United States, Ghana, Belgium, and Zambia.

Contestants from 17 other territories are yet to be confirmed but are still expected to make the trip.