Miss Belize

Miss Belize is the title given to the winner(s) of beauty pageants held yearly in Belize to select a national beauty ambassador to represent Belize at major international pageants such as Miss World, Miss Earth, Miss International and also to other minor international and regional pageants. In 2008 there is no Miss Belize to the Miss Universe pageant.

History

In the early years, there was one pageant held yearly to select a Belizean representative for the Miss World pageant, with either that same winner or a runner-up representing Belize at Miss Universe. Recently there have been the emergence of different pageants to select representatives for the different international pageants as opposed to just one pageant with several winners.

Some of the major pageant companies and organizations include Pageants Belize Ltd. (Michael Arnold); Queen of the Bay Committee (Emma Boiton); Queen of the Jewel Ltd. (Opal Enriquez); Belize International Pageants Ltd. (Darlene Clarke Campbell); Leilah Pandy Enterprises Pageantry & Modeling (LPELL) (Leilah Pandy, former Miss Belize).

Even though Belize's performance at international pageants has been less than stellar, Belize's presence at regional pageants such as Miss Costa Maya International, has been respectable, garnering two winners, one under the directorship of Carolyn Trench Sandiford and Margaret Johnson and a few finalists. Beauty ambassadors who have achieved some success for Belize include Sarita Diana Acosta, Chantae Chanice Guy(was recruited by Margaret Johnson in 2010 to be trained along with 12 others ladies to participate in the 1st.ever Top Model Competition of which Ms. Guy was the winner. Subsequently, she was given additional personal training by Margaret Johnson into the finer arts of Modeling, photography and how to do professional photo shoots. Its as a result of such detailed training that in 2012 she was taken and sent to Miss World 2012 and won a place in Miss World 2012 top 10 Models. Photographers used to showcase her came from Director Ms Margaret Johnson Personal Photo Shoot as artistic director and Michael Arnold was her lead photographer.

Leilah Anne Magdalena Pandy was professional trained by the same Margaret Johnson first in Houston Texas when she represented Belize at Miss Universe and again in Belize under her Directorship when Leilah Pandy was sent to participate in Miss Earth and won her various accolades. Miss Margaret Johnson is the only National Director of Miss Belize who sent three delegates into International Beauty Pageant Competitions all at the same time: Felicita Arzu was sent to Miss World, Leilah Pandy was at Miss Earth and Belize also participated in little Miss Universe for the 1st time and won Best Talent Award and rave review for her National Costume which was designed and created by Margaret Johnson and National Director with limited funding.

Maria Jeffery won Miss Belize Universe in 2006 under what can be noted as one of the best organized Miss Belize ever as can be verified by videos and saw various International Media Houses present for the 1st. time in Belize including French Media. In 2006 Miss Belize got its 1st. ever Logo and a Professional we might add and a year when pageantry of Miss Belize received major revamping of the entire system under the leadership of Johnson. Maria Jeffery won Miss Belize Universe under her comprehensive training and went on the represent Belize at Miss Universe in 2007. 2007 is the first time Miss Belize was selected during rehearsal to participate in Miss Universe top 12 finalist and those who were in the live audience were privy to a video presentation made by Miss Universe Organization of Miss Belize and the country of Belize showcasing the natural beauty for Belize and its people.

Opal Enriquez won a pageant in Los Angeles but was never an official Miss Belize winner of any pageant held in Belize but nonetheless did well in her pageant under her US Director Eva Gallego and went on to become Miss Costa Maya 1st. Runner Up when Andrea Elrington withdrew. Ms. Enriquez has gone on to produce her own winner at Costa Maya in 2013 and giving Belize its 3rd. Miss Costa Maya pageant International winner.

In 2008, a controversies arose when dethroned Miss Belize Universe 2008, Tanisha Vernon held a press conference in March in which she enlisted various queens competed and had already attended their International Pageants under Pageants Belize banner, her predecessor Maria Jeffrey, Miss Belize World 2007-08 Felicita Arzu, Mini Belize Venisha Price, Mini Universe Princess laid unfounded accusations at Pageants Belize director Margaret Johnson for allegedly not keeping her promises and handing over prizes knowing that Miss Vernon could not receive her prizes without signing her National Contract after she won and for accepting events to participate in without first consulting her Pageant Organization, raising and collecting funds on her own without the knowledge of Pageants Belize Ltd and Miss Johnson. In 2006 all the sponsors who promised prizes to Miss Belize Universe 2006 Maria Jeffery delivered on those promises and the delegates and the respective companies were sent letters to be able to deliver all prizes accept for one to Miss Jeffery and Arzu directly not to pageants Belize or Margaret Johnson. Both these young ladies visited the various sponsors to receive their prizes. A website is being created to share with the pageant world more on the details of these and the accurate history of pageants in Belize, unpublished photos and videos.

It would be premised of us not note that Director Margaret Johnson is the only director/pageant trainer/consultant of Belize to have produced Belize best trained and quality delegates for Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Earth that had the world looking seriously on who would represent Belize and as such Miss Belize Universe 2005, Andrea Elrington once trained my Margaret Johnson received the highest International pre-pageantry recognition and was on almost every pageant fan top 12 list all over the world to win Miss Universe 2007 and even earned the coveted 7th position on one of the world leading Online Pageantry Magazine called Missossology and the 1st. Miss Belize ever to receive various request via her trainer Margaret Johnson from the various leading pageantry website including Globalbeauties for interviews while Leilah Pandy became the 1st Miss Belize to get an online Interview due to the request of her then trainer Margaret Johnson before her Miss Universe pageant. Leilah Pandy represented Belize well.

Unfortunately, elected Miss Belize Universe- Tanisha Vernon refused to signed the prerequisite contract with her Miss Belize organization making it impossible to receive her sponsored prizes and lost out on the opportunity to participate in Miss Universe. (Please note that signing a contract with Belize is necessary to participate in Miss Belize as a delegate and then the winner is also required to sign another contract with the Belize organization usually within 30 days of winning her pageant and before she is allowed to sign any Miss Universe, World, Earth or any International pageant contract to officially able to represent Belize.

Titleholders

Miss Belize Universe

Color key

Year	Miss Belize	Placement	Special Awards
1975	Pelisamay Longsworth	Unplaced
1976	Janet Joan Joseph	Unplaced
1977	Dora Maria Phillips	Unplaced
1978	Christina Margarita Ysaguirre	Unplaced
1979	Sarita Diana Acosta	Top 12
1980	Ellen Marie Clarke	Unplaced
1981	Ivette Zabaneh	Unplaced
1982	Sharon Kay Auxillou	Unplaced
1983	Shirlene Dianne McKoy	Unplaced
1984	Lisa Patricia Ramírez	Unplaced
1985	Jennifer (Jenny) Woods	Unplaced
1986	Romy Ellen Taegar	Unplaced
1987	Holly Emma Edgell	Unplaced
1989	Andrea Shermane McKoy	Unplaced
1990	Ysela Antonia Zabaneh	Unplaced
1991	Josephine Gault	Unplaced
1993	Melanie Smith	Unplaced
1995	Deborah Wade	Unplaced
1996	Ava Lovell	Unplaced
1997	Sharon Domínguez	Unplaced
1998	Elvia Lilia Vega	Unplaced
1999	Viola Jeffery	Unplaced
2000	Shiemicka Richardson	Unplaced
2003	Becky Belinda Bernard	Unplaced
2004	Leilah Anne Magdalena Pandy	Unplaced
2005	Andrea Elrington	Unplaced
2007	Maria Jeffery	Unplaced
2016	TBA	TBA	TBA

Note:

• Chantae Chanice Guy is the first Miss Belize World to make the Top 10 for any Fast Track/Challenge Event at Miss World.^[1]

Miss Belize World

Year	Miss Belize	Placement	Special Awards
1987	Janine Sylvestre	Unplaced
1988	Pauline Young	Unplaced
1989	Martha Badillo	Unplaced
1990	Ysela Antonia Zabaneh	Unplaced
1991	Josephine Gault	Unplaced
2002	Karen Anita Russell	Unplaced
2003	Dalila Violeta Vanzie Montano	Unplaced
2007	Felicita Arzu	Unplaced
2008	Charmaine Chinapen	Unplaced
2009	Norma Leticia Lara	Unplaced
2010	Jessel Monique Lauriano	Unplaced
2011	Kadejah Kenifah Tunn	Unplaced
2012	Chantae Chanice Guy	Unplaced	Top 10 at Miss World Top Model
2013	Idolly Louise Saldivar	Unplaced
2014	Raquel Alejandra Badillo	Unplaced
2015	Jasmin Jael Rhamdas	Unplaced
2016	TBA	TBA

Miss Earth Belize

Year	Miss Belize	Placement	Special Awards
2007	Leilah Anne Magdalena Pandy	Unplaced	Environmental Award (Top 5)
2008	Larriean Samuels	Withdrew
2009	Sherrylee Rodriguez	Withdrew
2010	Natasha Nicole Acosta	Withdrew
2011	Kimberly Ann Robateau	Unplaced
2012	Jessel Monique Lauriano	Unplaced	Best Green Bag Challenge Best Communicator
2013	Amber Renee Rivero	Unplaced
2015	Christine Syme	Unplaced
2016	TBA	TBA

Miss Belize International

Year	Miss Belize	Placement	Special Awards
2011	Annlyn Nicole Apolonio	Unplaced
2012	Destinee Dominique Arnold	Unplaced

External links

• Belize International Pageants Ltd
• Belize Pageant Updates
• Miss Belize World Ltd
• The Next Miss Belize
• Miss Costa Maya
• Pageantopolis

References