A 21-year-old from the Sunshine Coast has taken her environmental advocacy to the next level by entering the Miss Earth Australia competition.
Jessica Lane, a student at the University of the Sunshine Coast, says Miss Earth Australia differs from other pageants due to the emphasis placed on the environment.
The competition will be held from August 8-11 in Sydney, where the winner of Miss Earth Australia will be announced.
Miss Earth is one of the “big four” global pageants, including Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss International.
“I really am excited for this journey with Miss Earth because it takes on a whole other component of environmental advocacy,” Ms Lane said.
She will be the only regional Queensland contestant among the other 14 national finalists.
“I feel like I have a unique perspective to tell my story from because I haven’t grown up in a city like the rest of the girls,” she said.
“They probably have a lot of experiences that I can’t talk about but I have a lifetime of getting my hands dirty in nature and respecting the ecosystem and our part that we play in it as well.”
The Miss Earth participants must compete in a number of different events including a beauty of face competition, where contestants will be judged without any makeup, a talent presentation, swimwear competition, environmental speech presentation and more.
Contestants will be scored out of 100 in these events, with the top five progressing to the final stages of the competition.
Miss Earth Australia also judges participants’ out-of-competition environmental work, contributing to pre-pageant points.
“We have pre-competition judging which is based on your appearances, like making sure you’re not just saying that you’re out there getting your hands dirty making a difference,” Ms Lane said.
“If you are just talking the talk and you are not getting out there and making a difference, and trying to truly make the world a better place, you’re not going to win Miss Earth Australia. That’s just plain and simple,” she said.
Ms Lane recently hosted a Turtle Tote fundraiser in Mooloolaba, where attendees could decorate their own tote bag with an environmental design.
“This Turtle Tote was incredible. It was implementing all my greatest passions, which was our environment with the design on the bag, and sustainability with the tote bag itself,” she said.
The fundraiser, in sponsorship with Frida’s Sip and Paint Mooloolaba, helped raise more than $1000 for the Amazing Grace Foundation.
“The Amazing Grace charity is an Australian non-profit that provides food and water resources for impoverished kids in the Philippines,” Ms Lane said.
“Everyone had a really great time – we had a raffle going and there was cheering. I honestly could not have asked for it to go better.”
Ms Lane says she has always had a passion for activism.
“I have always seen a problem and instead of sitting there feeling sorry for myself or feeling sorry for the people affected, I have wanted to go out and do something,” she said.
“I’ve always been a person of action.”
She hopes to use her experience to inspire others to bring about environmental change.
“I am just so grateful to have this platform to stand on and hopefully inspire a bit of environmental change because it’s my lifelong passion. It’s all I’ve fought for,” Ms Lane said.
People’s Choice voting is now open for the public to choose who they want to be the next Miss Earth Australia.
Kelsey Reid is a journalism intern with Sunshine Coast News.
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