By Saraswati |Business Bhutan

Two years ago, a dream came true for the 24-year-old Tshokye Tshomo Karchung when she was crowned the first Miss Bhutan.

The night that ended with celebrations gave hopes to young girls who went to bed that night dreaming about the Nu 45,000 worth Miss Bhutan crown.

But, many hearts sank, when it was announced that there would be no Miss Bhutan contest in 2009.

However, MPC Bhutan, the organizers of the first pageant is back with the second edition of the competition – The Miss Bhutan Pageant 2010.

Young Bhutanese girls between 17 and 28 years of age and standing a minimum of 5’4 feet can start registering for the contest from today till June 20.  Beauty Queen aspirants can register for free via internet or through 28 pageant agents across the country.

“This year the event will be bigger, interesting and more popular than Miss Bhutan 2008, said Karma Tshering, the director of MPC Bhutan entertainment. Asked how different the pageant would be, he said, “a group of jury members will travel all over the country and select candidates.

This year, the main competition will start with beauties representing their dzongkhag. “This is to encourage maximum participation,” he added.

The organizers are planning to give better prizes: possibly a car and free tickets to Bangkok for the top three contestants.

Unlike last time, the hunt for Miss Bhutan 2010 will last for four months. The auditions will last a month and a minimum of five girls will be selected from each dzongkhag.

“I wonder if there will be any participation from Gasa and Dagana,” said Karma Tshering.

The girls will undergo grooming sessions by experts from India and Philippines, and attend orientation by officials from various departments in the country.

The contestants will also participate in social service programs and advocate the people on AIDS, drug abuse and initiate clean up campaigns. A women marathon will also take place as a part of the event.  A drama troop will also accompany the beauties for the dzongkhag tours.

According to Karma Tshering, the contest will have a preliminary round, a week ahead of the finale. All the shortlisted participators will be availed to grooming programs including food, lodging and travel.

Talking to Business Bhutan, the director said, “The Gross National Happiness round has been omitted due to controversies last time.” Asking if the contestants will have a bikini round, he said, “No.”

Miss Thailand, Charm Reya Osthanod is sponsoring the evening gowns for the contestants. The organizers are bringing in award winning photographers, hairdressers, makeup man from Bangkok. For the grand finale, Karma Tshering is looking into inviting a Bollywood beauty queen including Miss Thailand.

Seven judges, two foreigners and five Bhutanese will consist the jury for hunting the next Miss Bhuta

Written by Pema Choki, Bhutan Times

May 9, 2010: The young and the beautiful are getting ready to walk the ramps in their attempt to win the coveted Miss Bhutan 2010 title.
Registration for the Miss Bhutan Pageant openedss from yestarday and already 45 of them have registered for the pageant through email.
The minimum qualification required for the Miss Bhutan Pageant is class X with 5.4ft tall. Registration will be closed by June 20th 2010.
“The selection procedure for Miss Bhutan 2010 will be very different,” said Karma Tshering, Director of Miss Bhutan Pageant.
The Pageant team will start the Audition Round in all the Dzongkhags. The team would travel across the country to find the hidden beauty and talents. The candidates will be categorized under the respective Dzongkhag based on their permanent address (Citizenship Card).
Once the regional audition in all the 20 Dzongkhags is completed, a winner from each Dzongkhag will be selected and named with the Dzongkhag titles.
The 20 Dzongkhag title winners of the respective Dzongkhag will be the finalist of the main pageant (Miss Bhutan 2010).
The selected finalists will than under go training and grooming sessions.
“Beauty is definitely not the only ingredient to success. One’s personality and attitude all reflect on the ramp,” said Karma Tshering.

He said that the goal here is not just about winning a crown for Bhutan, but gifting a journey for the individual to pave way for her aspirations.
Finalists will be finally judged by a panel of eminent personalities in the Preliminary round. Two international judges and around five to six national judges will choose the Miss Bhutan.
The finalists will also have the opportunity to attend lectures and talks by important Resource Speakers from various government organizations and private sector. The contestants will also be doing social services by creating awareness on HIV AIDS, Drugs & Alcohol, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse etc.

The Grand Finale will take place a week after the preliminary round.
Millions of people all over the world are interested in the international beauty pageants and watch to see who represents each nation. For this reason the Miss Bhutan Pageant will provide a contemporary forum for Bhutanese girls and women.

“There is always the need for more women who to emerge as role models for the younger generation, as spokes people for their culture. And there is a need for these women to represent a variety of professions, attitudes, skills and interests,” said Karma Tshering.

Since Miss Bhutan is a conservative pageant, proper attire for all segments is mandatory. There is no Swim-suit round and no vulgar attire permitted. The contestants must behave in a manner befitting the title of Miss Bhutan.
“We at Miss Bhutan Pageant, value more for inner quality of a person than physical looks that makes us different from any international beauty pageants,” said Karma Tshering.

Miss Bhutan will celebrate womanhood and at the same time she will be in an excellent position to promotion important advocacy programs on HIV/AIDS, Drugs and Alcohol, Domestic Violence, child Abuse ect.
“I had an interest in the world of fashion since my childhood, but waited till I finish my class XII examinations,”said Dechen Tshomo, class 12 pass student who have registered for Miss Bhutan Pageant 2010.

The winner of each MISS BHUTAN contests gets to participate in the international beauty contests (Miss World, Miss International, Miss Tourism Queen, and Miss Earth etc.) based on the invitations from the respective international beauty pageant organization.

The actual cat walk of the finalists will be telecast live by the Bhutan Broadcasting Services

Miss Bhutan Pageant was founded in the year 2008 by Bhutanese filmmaker Karma Tshering under the banner of MPC Bhutan Entertainment.

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