Alexa Grant. Image from Instagram
Filipino-Canadian Alexa Marie Grant, representing Canada, has advanced to the Top 10 of the semifinal round of the Miss Supranational suprachat challenge, which is a special addition to the competition before the coronation night in Poland next month.
Grant’s achievement was announced by pageant organizers on its Instagram page on Tuesday after winning her group’s “Suprachat,” an online event where beauty queens are grouped in no particular order, and in which they have to interact with their fans and supporters online pre-arrival.
“Congratulations to @miss.supranationalcan CANADA 🇨🇦 @alexamarie_grant You are advancing to the top 10 semi-final round of #suprachat and well done to all the other ladies in Episode 7!” Miss Supranational captioned its post.
Grant commented on this post, expressing her elation over her initial victory. Incidentally, she also won the talent portion of the pageant.
A screenshot of Alexa Grant’s comment on Miss Supranational’s post on Instagram
From Alexa Grant’s Instagram Stories
Before she was Miss Supranational-Canada, the 21-year-old Grant was Miss Teen Philippines Canada 2018, then Binibining IPEN Canada 2022.
Philippines’ bet Pauline Amelinckx is included in Group 10 of the Suprachat, which premiered on June 20 (Poland time, 7 hours advanced) and will end in 48 hours.
A choice between two international pageants
Meanwhile, organizers of The Miss Philippines pageant will grant its winner the option to choose which competition it wants to join between Miss Supranational and the Miss Charm pageants, Amelinckx disclosed during a chat with INQUIRER.net in an event in Pasig recently.
While most major national beauty pageants in the country have been bestowing multiple titles to their winners, and the queens are tied to the choices made by the judges or the organization, the new competition will provide its would-be queen the liberty to choose which global tilt she would want to compete in.
Amelinckx said “The Miss Philippines” will provide the eventual winner the chance to pick between the Miss Supranational and the Miss Charm pageants as her international assignment.
“We were briefed yesterday that the winner actually gets a chance to choose which pageant that she decides to join, given that she still needs to serve the requirements of that particular international pageant, and then the runners up, if they decide to also join, they will be given an opportunity. But of course first stake is the winner. Yes, so far, there’s only one winner,” the reigning Miss Supranational Philippines shared.
Amelinckx was joined by reigning Miss Charm Philippines Krishnah Gravidez in facing members of local media and online content creators to discuss pertinent details about the new competition. Both queens are serving as spokespersons for the contest that will choose their national successors.
Miss Supranational Philippines Pauline Amelinckx (right) and Miss Charm Philippines Krishnah Gravidez/ARMIN P. ADINA
The two received their national titles in a separate ceremony after they finished in the Top 3 of the 2023 Miss Universe Philippines pageant where Michelle Dee bagged the top title.
Aside from the groundbreaking option accorded to the winner in The Miss Philippines competition, the new contest also hopes to set itself apart from the more established pageants by giving even more prominence to the country’s culture and heritage in all segments, portions, and stages of the competition.
More culture, heritage celebration
“The Philippines, in many different corners, has so much to offer, which is something that The Miss Philippine culture and heritage celebration will definitely be highlighting. So that’s something that all of us can be excited about, to truly get to know our culture, not just its food, not just the fiesta, and of course the people. We get a chance to better know our culture in that, because of this new innovation in Philippine pageantry,” Amelinckx noted.
Gravidez agreed, and said, “I believe that there are a lot of undiscovered crafts in the different cities of the Philippines, and I believe that this pageant has the capacity to highlight it and show it to the whole universe.”
Another stark departure from the usual beauty contests is the scrapping of the swimsuit competition. “In terms of the pageant scene, and in terms of pageant innovation, there really is so much more to pageantry than just the swimsuit portion,” said Amelinckx.
Gravidez, for her part, found the development “exciting,” and said, “there’s so much more of us girls that we can offer. There’s so much more of our culture and our heritage in the Philippines.” She now carries the responsibility of posting the country’s first victory in the Miss Charm pageant in the global tilt’s second edition in February 2024 in Vietnam.
Amelinckx clarified, though, that there will still be a swimsuit photoshoot showcasing the Philippines’ breathtaking landscapes. “But as part of the celebration or coronation itself, it’s going to be a different segment that I’m sure all of you are very curious and excited about,” she explained.
The Miss Philippines will start screening applicants in August, and the competition will also accept entries from overseas Filipino communities to further expand the promotion of the country’s culture and heritage to different countries as well. The winner will be given the chance to compete in either the 2024 Miss Supranational pageant or the 2025 Miss Charm contest. EDV