Jamaica: PM Andrew Holness congratulates Velonique Bowen for winning Miss Jamaica Festival Queen

Jamaica: Prime Minister Andrew Holness congratulated Velonique Bowen for being crowned as the Diamond Jubilee Miss Jamaica Festival Queen. PM furthermore extended congratulations to first and second runner-ups Miss Clarendon, Sheri-Gaye Johnson and Miss Westmoreland, Le Shone Redwood, respectively.

“Congratulations to Miss Kingston & St Andrew, Velonique Bowen, on being crowned the Diamond Jubilee Miss Jamaica Festival Queen! I also commend Miss Clarendon, Sheri-Gaye Johnson and Miss Westmoreland, Le Shone Redwood, on finishing as 1st Runner-Up and 2nd Runner-Up, respectively,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness wrote on social media while praising these contestants.

PM Holness further commended all participants who participated and showed their talent. “Commendations also to all participants, each of you is beautiful and talented,” he stated.

The newly crowned Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2022, Velonique Bowen, is a Broadcast journalist and has represented Kingston and St Andrew. She was among the 13 parish queens in the contest, held at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Monday (August 1).

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange presented the cheque of $600,000 to the winners at the grand coronation of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), organised competition. 

The first runner-up was Miss Clarendon, Sheri-Gaye Johnson, who won $350,000, with Miss Westmoreland, LeChone Redwood, securing the second runner-up prize of $200,000. Rounding off the top five were Miss St Thomas, Deidre Wadsworth and Miss Portland, Renae Thibaud.

In addition to winning the competition, Bowen also won sectional prizes, including Most Poised, Most Culturally Aware, Most Active in her community, and Most Popular on Social Media, while Johnson won the sectional prizes for Most Congenial and Best Performer. Miss Redwood was adjudged for wearing the Best Gown.

Minister Grange, also a Patron, said the competition had produced a number of great Jamaican women, noting that she was proud of the contestants.

“We have really done well with this competition,” the Minister noted.

She explained that throughout the years, the competition, which started as a beauty pageant, has evolved.

“It first started as a beauty pageant, and then a decision was taken that it had to be more than just beauty. There is a saying that the beauty is skin deep, but we must look at that inner person, so all the girls now have to display some talent,” she said.

Among the guests was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Geoffrey Onyeama, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari.