Every piece of hair is in place, every nail is painted to perfection, and every girl is smiling broadly. A dazzling showdown awaits as the finals of Miss Lincolnshire.
A press day highlighting the competition showcased eighteen young girls aged between seventeen and twenty-four, who are competing to be this year’s Miss Lincolnshire. 
The competition this year is undoubtedly bigger and better than previous Miss Lincolnshire events.
The event is being hosted by Wingit PR, a local public relations company that plans on making this year’s contest really stand out. Simon Daymon, co-director of Wingit PR told us.
“This is our first year holding the event and we really want to make an impact. We want to make it something a lot better than it used to be.”
With around 90 contestants entering the competition, the directors of Wingit PR had to whittle that number down to just eighteen finalists.
The process for picking the finalists was a casual interview with the directors, who say that although beauty and looks are important, they want someone with personality.
“We want a girl who can represent Lincolnshire in a positive and friendly way. This year we didn’t want a girl who could just win Miss Lincolnshire. We want a girl who has the potential to win Miss England. That was always in the back of our heads when choosing the finalists,” says Daymon.
The winner of the Miss Lincolnshire competition will automatically go through to the finals of Miss England. The Miss England competition will take place in London at the end of August and the winner will go on to compete for the prestigious Miss World title.
For the first time in 50 years, the Miss England competition will no longer have a swimsuit round. In its place there will be a sports challenge which will be overseen by the current Miss England.
Miss Lincolnshire finalist Easha Howlett has had previous modeling experience and hopes the competition will help to further her career: “I hope this competition will help me have more opportunities to model. I already have a portfolio ready which was put together in London, but I’m hoping this will take me one step further,” she says.
Among the finalists are three University of Lincoln students. Lauren Maslanka, Stephanie Bird, and Laura Brommell are all taking part in the competition.
Maslanka, a Law student, has had some previous experience but nothing on this scale: “It’s a bit scary being in a competition, but it’s a great opportunity and it would be a dream come true to win,” she says.
Current Miss Lincolnshire Katy Worth is a student nurse, and says that this year’s competition is so different from the previous year: “The PR this year is fantastic and the girls really should have fun with the competition,” she says.
Daymon told The Linc that they intend on holding onto the girls, even after the competition:
“Once all this is finished we don’t want to just drop the girls, we want to work with them, help them gain some modeling experience and coach them in giving media interviews. We are supporting the girls rather than just holding the competition,” Daymon says.
The Linc spoke exclusively to Miss England, Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge, about what it takes to be in a competition like this.
“It’s great because being Miss England isn’t about being the best looking girl in England. It’s about being an all-rounder. It has definitely given me a lot of life experience, but as far as my career goes, I am now the face of La Senza, but obviously I am also in the army.
“I’ve travelled all over the world, as well as in the UK, and now I can appreciate why people want to come to England on holiday!” she says.
Whilst all the hype of Miss Lincolnshire sweeps the county, let’s not forget Mr Lincolnshire. Only a handful of contestants have applied for the position Mr Lincolnshire, and Wingit PR are keen to get more lads on board.
“I think guys take the idea too seriously. The lads should just have fun, have a laugh and you never know what might happen,” says Daymon.
If you’d like to put yourself forward, or know of any guys who might be interested in running for Mr Lincolnshire, contact Wingit PR.
The final of Miss Lincolnshire will be held on June 1st.