It has been widely reported and the country is well aware that the recently held 2026 Carnival Queen Show produced two winners and consequently organisers felt obligated to crown the two young ladies as the pageant monarchs of St. Lucia, something that has never occurred in the event’s 72-year history.
But, did they have to? What could or should have been done?
On the Carnival Saint Lucia website, an attempt at an explanation read “the rules of the National Carnival Queen Pageant contain no tie-breaking provision – a reflection of the fact that, in 72 years, a tie for first place had never occurred. Once the audited results were confirmed, the CPMC could not fairly or credibly introduce a new rule after the fact. Creating a tie-breaker retroactively, with the scores already known, would have compromised the very integrity and impartiality that the judging and audit process is designed to protect. The only outcome consistent with the verified scores and the existing rules was to declare both delegates National Carnival Queen.”
While that may be a recount of what occurred, it in no way is a reason for not having a contingency plan, after all the word ‘contingency’ speaks directly to preparing for something that may or may not have happened before.
By the way, the website displayed results read “2026 National Carnival Queen – Miss Bank of Saint Lucia, Nyaley Lewis and Miss Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Faith Edward.
1st Runner Up – Miss Republic Onboard, Shernette Rameau
2nd Runner Up – Miss Diamond Girl, Simone Sonson
3rd Runner Up – Miss Duty Free Pointe Seraphine, Eudoxia Poleon.”
Isn’t it common practice for the second place (1St Runner Up) to be pushed into third place (2nd Runner Up) and so on, if you have a tie at the top? Anyway…
The Facebook mafia media has had a field day with almost everything Carnival Queen Pageant this year. Many had opinions on who should have won and why, what a possible contingency should have looked like, the perceived missteps of The Carnival Planning and Management Committee (CPMC), plus disgusting comments leveled at the young ladies participating, something that has apparently become a staple following the pageant every year.
Some believe the pageant has lost it stature and should be re-configured or just discontinued all together, particularly because it is seen, in some circles, as a demeaning exercise for young aspiring, intelligent ladies.
Going back to the matter of crowning two individuals, it was mentioned that there have been two separate occasions regionally where two queens were hailed, one involving and including a St. Lucian. Isn’t that more reason to have had a contingency plan in place?
The CPMC, on its website, promises to revisit its regulations under the heading “Strengthening the Rules for the Future,” seemingly a clear indication that they understand that better should have been done in so far as preparation is concerned.
While the social media platforms have and continues to be alight with comments and impressions, positive or negative, one group that could hardly offer a credible word on the matter is the local media as they were distinctly, apparently, not invited to this national party.
The biggest losers in all this are the talented ladies who brave the stage to earn the nod for national duty. It would serve us well to encourage St. Lucia to appreciate their efforts, and more importantly, respect them enough to plan and organize sufficiently to match their efforts.