By Dimithri Wijesinghe
The grand finale of Miss Sri Lanka 2020, scheduled to be held in October this year, was postponed until further notice due to the prevailing concerns of a spike in Covid-19 cases in the island.
In light of this, Sky View Productions (Pvt.) Ltd. National Director Tharindu Lakshan shared: “We regret to inform you that as per the notice issued by the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, to ensure public safety, Miss Sri Lanka 2020 Grand Finale will be postponed until further notice. We thereby notify that the tickets that have already been purchased will be valid and the new date will be updated soon.”
However, the competition, which has been in progress since February of 2020, is currently in its final stages. The event’s preliminary audition rounds were initially held at Cinnamon Grand Colombo in earlier this year and the 12 finalists went on to participate in the mini pageants.
The mini pageants took place on 29 at Grand Mondo Hotel and showcased the variety rounds where contestants showcased their skills, and at the event, the contestants took part in the talent rounds, having completed the other segments of this round which included the cat walk round, beachwear, and a number of other segments.
Tharindu shared that while the event has been postponed, unfortunately, there is one last category that is still ongoing – the title of “Miss Popular”, which is a title based on audience votes. He said that voting has been opened for this title and all contestants’ photographs have been shared on the official Facebook page. Audiences are therefore encouraged to vote for their favourite contestant.
Voting entails hitting an up-vote – a “like” – on your preferred contestant’s individual post, Tharindu said. Voting will be closed on 31 October and so there is only a period of three weeks left to cast your vote for your favourite contestant.
The ladies contesting are Nuwanthika Nanayakkara from Kadawatha, Hashela Harischandra from Kelaniya, Oshini Shanaya from Ja-Ela, Suwini Aloka from Negombo, Pragya Gamage from Thalawathugoda, Amizhthini Nakkeeran from Colombo, Kamilini Kammi from Dehiwala, Shenya Wijerathne from Colombo, Ravini Perera from Kurunegala, Chathini Wickramasooriye from Kurunegala, Aarya Samarawickrama from Rajagiriya, Waruni Nisansala from Kalawana, and Shenya Wijerathne from Piliyandala.
The Miss Sri Lanka 2020 competition, which is under the direction of Tharindu Lakshan, will be hosted by Tharindu. He shared that the primary reason why they chose to launch this initiative was in answer to some of the scrutiny the beauty pageant industry has been under in the past few years in Sri Lanka, stating that their goal is to somewhat reinvent the bad name the industry has got and give it a fresh start.
Keeping with their mission statement, the events they’ve held so far have been reflective of their efforts, with the most recent event, the talent round held in August, coming to fruition with great success, and the finalists who are representative of nearly all parts of the island bringing to the Miss Sri Lanka stage a colorful array of talents.
Miss Sri Lanka 2020 is the second instalment of the Miss Sri Lankan title organised by Sky View Productions, where 2019’s winner went on to take part in the international pageant “Miss Tourism” held in China. The 2020 titleholder will be awarded the opportunity of a lifetime to qualify for Miss Asia Global to be held in Malaysia.
Event collaborators
Event producer: Venura Kavinda
Official sponsors
Official nail care partner: Beauty Nail Spa
Official beauty care partner: Salon Gayan Ransara
Official print media partner: Aruna, The Sunday Morning
Official social media partner: Ceylon Reach Me
Media partner: Music TV
Official photography: Dark Room, Danuka Lakshan