By MyVue News.com Staff Reporter
Basseterre, Monday, 31st July 2023, (My Vue News.com)-The performances were superb, and the resilience of the young competitors was quite evident, as the 2023 Culturama Talented Teen Competition was staged at the Cultural Complex in Nevis, on Sunday,30th July.
The event was part of the ongoing activities to celebrate the 49th year of Culturama. Seven schools participated.
At the end of the highly lengthy show, (due to no fault of the contestants), it was the Elizabeth Pemberton Primary School that recorded its name in the annals of the history of the annual cultural celebrations, when they copped the title of Mr. & Miss Talented Youth in front of a packed and appreciative audience.
Tiniah Wills and Jai’eem Sturge of Elizabeth Pemberton Primary tallied – 901 points to break from the rest of the competitors.
Trailing closely behind in First Runner-up position were Myesha Jeffers and Abhijith Srinivasan of the Montessori Academy, on 899 points.
The Second Runners-up was the St. Thomas Primary School pair, Jarvarni Hamilton and Jonicia Hill. They amassed 855 points.
Following not too far behind were Kejohné Hill and Isaiah Herbert, (830 points), in the Third Runner-up position. They were from the Nevis Academy.
While the contestants delivered their best on stage in their four judged appearances, the organizing team fell short in its production responsibilities.
Not only were pageant goers made to wait over one hour before the start of the contest, but they were also made to wait until after 3:00 am the following morning before the results could be known.
This distracted from what was a competition of high standards, showcasing youth in segments such as Speech, Creative Wear, Prince and Princess Wear, and Talent.
However, not even the tardiness of the organizing committee and the unnecessarily lengthy nature of the show daunted the spirits of the youngsters, who fought sleep and fatigue, to keep their competitive posture.
The audience too, many of whom remained until the end, must be highly commended for their dedication and support for the young competitors.
Thankfully, Sunday night’s production failures are not likely to damper the spirit of Culturama, as visitors and returning nationals will be flocking to the island, as thousands get ready for the remaining activities, including the Calypso Show, (Friday), Queen Pageant, (Sunday), Miss Caribbean Culture Queen Pageant, (Monday), J’ouvert, (Monday) and Parade of Troupes and Bands on Tuesday.
Here are the full results below:
Republic Bank Mr & Miss Talented Youth: Tiniah Wills and Jai’eem Sturge of Elizabeth Pemberton Primary – 901 points
1st runner up: Montessori Academy (Myesha Jeffers and Abhijith Srinivasan) 899 points
2nd runner up: St. Thomas Primary (Jarvarni Hamilton and Jonicia Hill) 855 points
3rd runner up: Nevis Academy (Kejohné Hill and Isaiah Herbert) 830 points
Best Speech: Elizabeth Pemberton Primary (Tiniah Wills and Jai’eem Sturge) 214 points
Best Performing Talent: Montessori Academy (Myesha Jeffers and Abhijith Srinivasan) 262 points
Best Creative Wear: Montessori Academy (Myesha Jeffers and Abhijith Srinivasan) 262 points
Best Formal Prince & Princess Wear: Elizabeth Pemberton Primary (Tiniah Wills and Jai’eem Sturge) 197 points
Chairperson’s award: Joycelyn Liburd Primary School (Naimah Hamilton and Tajalah Maynard)
Mr & Miss Photogenic: Ivor Walters Primary (Malikwa Peets and A’Nijé Jones)
Miss Congeniality: Naimah Hamilton of Joycelyn Liburd Primary School
Mr. Congeniality: Jai’eem Sturge of Elizabeth Pemberton Primary
People’s Choice Award: Joycelyn Liburd Primary Naimah Hamilton and Tajalah Maynard of Joycelyn Liburd Primary
The next event on the calendar is the Night of Steel Panorama Contest on Monday night, (31st July).
Contestants in the 2023 Nevis Culturama Talented Youth Competition.