Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2017 pageant winner, Dainalyn Swaby says her focus would be on youth.

“I’m from a rural area and I attended school in Kingston; I recognised the disparity between rural and urban. The youth need opportunities to better themselves and that’s what I really want to be my mission,” Swaby, 24, told the Jamaica Observer shortly after her crowning.

“I believe encouraging young people and creating means of employment for them is the way to go.”

The Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2017 contest was held at the National Stadium in St Andrew on Tuesday.

The former Hampton High student said she was motivated to enter the pageant to help to put St Elizabeth on the map.

“There has never been a winner from St Elizabeth so I was really inspired to do it for my parish. I wanted to put my parish forward,” she said.

Swaby copped three sectional prizes — Most Poised, Best Performance, and Most Culturally Aware. Her prize package totalled over $600,000 in cash and prizes.

“It has been overwhelming because I put in a lot of hard work. I feel really elated to have come away with this victory,” she said.

The event kicked off with a glitzy opening number choreographed by Rayon McLean and Paul Newman.

Joining the 13 finalists on stage during different intervals were the Tivoli Dance Troupe and the Portmore Dance Theatre Company.

After introducing themselves to the audience, the girls did their talent items before parading in evening wear.

The talent pieces focused on a range of topics, including social issues such as domestic violence, litter, gender bias, among others. Most of them were well written, creatively executed, and quite humorous.

The standout pieces came from Daniela Woodbine (Miss Westmoreland), who did a dub poetry item titled Free My Soul. Vivianne Miller’s (Miss Clarendon) dance piece titled Ode to the Jamaican Woman was outstanding. Ava Gail Lindsay (Miss St Mary) performed a skit titled I Rise; Josselle Fisher’s (Miss St. Catherine) revivalist piece, Sister Catherine was well received; and Kayan Millwood’s (Miss Manchester) skit Jamaican Poppy Show called for women to be afforded similar opportunities to men in all sectors of the society.

Other sectional prizes were:

Most Congenial — Miss Hanover, Ashley Anderson;

Most Active in Community — Miss St Ann, Naresha Jackson;

Social Media — Miss Westmoreland, Daniela Woodbine.

After the gruelling interview segment, singer Alaine and St Andrew Technical High School Dance Troupe entertained, much to the delight of patrons.

The final results were then announced as Ava Gail Lindsay (Miss St. Mary) finished in third place, while second place went to Naresha Jackson, Miss St Ann. The other top five placements went to Miss St Catherine, Josselle Fisher and Daniela Woodbine, Miss Westmoreland.

Despite the technical glitches (which sometimes overshadowed the presentation by the emcees Adrian Atkinson and Katrina D’Auguilar), the event was quite entertaining.

— Kevin Jackson