Three multi-talented students have been crowned beauty queens of the maiden edition of the Miss 22 July Scholarship Pageant 2008 on Saturday morning at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.

After four rounds of sensational parades embellished with piercing eloquence, Miss Fatma SM Janneh took home the flashy monarch-like crown in the tertiary category, leaving Miss Ndey Oley Taal and Miss Fatou Alieu Njie to trail as the first and the second runners up.

The 2008 July 22 scholastic queen Miss Janneh was decorated with a sparkling sash and a fascinating crown by Yankuba Touray, the secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, who graciously represented President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh.

Stunning Miss Mariama Camara was crowned the queen in the senior secondary school category in a keen contest that saw Miss Satang K Tunkara and Miss Isatou B Jallow emerged as the first and the second runners up. Miss Camara was decorated by Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay, the Speaker of the National Assembly.

In the upper basic school contest, a young beauty prodigy Miss Elizabeth Mendy beat all hands down to snatch away the crown, leaving her close rival contenders, Miss Jarriatou F Jallow and Miss Madeline Gomez walk home with the first and the second runners up titles. Marie Saine-Firdaus, the attorney general and secretary of for Justice, decorated MissMendy. All the nine winners were presented with attractive prizes, although only the three crowned queens would receive a full scholarship to PhD level.

Thirty contestants vied for the three crowns, with 10 angels in each of the three categories. Almost the contestants exhibited a dazzling performance, entreating the cheering audience with their inspiring platforms impregnated with myriad of visions that were all in tune with the socio-economic strides of the country.

The contest, which broke through a darkest night of last Friday towards the wee hours of Saturday morning, also saw a spectacular display of African culture and art. The dresses and other traditional outfits displayed by the contestants unravelled the high level of artistry buried in Gambian culture and to a large extent, a pool of creative minds in the country's booming fashion industry.

Central in the pageantry was a quest for academic excellence. All the contestants went through grilling questions by Ms Fatou Camara-Saidy of the American Embassy and her co-MC Peter Brima of GSM giant Africell. The questions revolved around the July 22 Revolution, education, government, among many pertinent issues that touched many lives in this country. As expected by many, the beauty angels tackled the questions with resoluteness and a sense academic prowess, which were greeted with raucous applause from the colourful audience.

The event was lit up by live performance by Afro-Manding queen Sambou Suso, prolific Freaky Joe, majestic Mam Tamsir Njie, endearing Amie Cherry and sensational Mbye Gaye. Other Gambian artistes made their mark.

In her opening statement, Fatou Lamin Faye, the secretary of state for Basic and Secondary Education, said the 30 contestants who made the final list were carefully selected after a string of preliminary rounds and regional competitions. SoS Faye, whose department coordinated the event, congratulated all the contestants for their participation. She also thanked the sponsors of the event and used the occasion to pay tribute to President Jammeh for the initiative.