Miss Grenada 2026 Camyah Telesford responds to pageant criticism

Grenada: Miss Grenada 2026 Camyah Telesford has spoken out against the criticism and personal attacks which she has received after she was crowned as the 2026 National Carnival Queen, saying that the questions about the pageant results should be directed at the judging process and not the contestants.

Telesford addressed the issue in a statement shared on social media, after criticism from some members of the public about the results of the National Carnival Queen Pageant.

She said that she understands that people may have questions about the judging criteria, allocation of points, tabulation and how the final winner was determined.

“I understand that there may be questions about the judging criteria, the allocation of points, the tabulation process and ultimately how the final winner was determined. Those are fair questions,” Telesford said.

Telesford was crowned the 2026 National Carnival Queen on Thursday, August 6, at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium. She represented St. David in the competition, while Miss St. George was named 1st Runner-up and Miss St. Andrew was named 2nd Runner-up.

The pageant featured seven contestants representing Grenada’s parishes, along with Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The contestants competed in several judged and special categories before the overall winner was announced.

The results came under discussions after Miss St. Andrew, Nichola Thomas, won several of the listed judged and special categories, while Telesford was not listed as the winner of any of those categories.

Thomas received the Miss Congeniality, People’s Choice Award, Beauty with a Purpose, Best Swimsuit, Best in Swimsuit, Best Costume, Best in Costume and Best Evening Wear awards.

Telesford said the contestants were not responsible for the judging, tabulation of scores or final placements.

“We did not judge ourselves. We did not tabulate the scores. We did not decide the final placements,” she said.

She also said that each contestant had spent about seven months preparing for the pageant through rehearsals, training sessions, fittings, research and other preparations.

Telesford said that the contestants should not be ridiculed or insulted because of the final results.

“What is not fair is turning those questions into personal attacks against the women who participated,” she said.

She further called on the Spicemas Corporation to provide information on the judging criteria, scoring system and tabulation process used to determine the final results.

Telesford said that this information would help in addressing the concerns which are being raised by members of the public and protect the integrity of the competition.

“If your concern is with the judging process, question the process. If your concern is with the tabulation, ask for transparency,” she said.

She also spoke about the criticism directed at the contestants on social media. She said several of the women had used their platforms during the pageant to speak about domestic violence, women’s empowerment, self-worth and protection of women and girls.

She also questioned the message being sent to young women who may want to participate in the pageant if contestants are subjected to online attacks when people disagree with the outcome.

Telesford said that her role as National Carnival Queen also gives her a responsibility to speak about the issue and to support the other contestants.
Telesford’s statement comes as she continues to face criticism regarding the queen calling for the 2026 pageant results.