MISS GUERNSEY organiser Elvio Pires has said ‘no’ to more than 40 would-be entrants ahead of tomorrow evening’s event. The competition received more than 50 entries, but Mr Pires and fellow judges have whittled that number down to 16.

‘Between 12 and 16 was the magic number and that is what we have got. We had to filter out some entries because some were not local and some were not the right age,’ he said.

‘We still had some girls wanting to enter at the weekend, but we had to say no because we have been training the other girls in the build-up to tomorrow.’

The final touches were being made to the stage, the catwalk and the seating at the Carlton Hotel yesterday and Mr Pires cannot wait for the night itself.

‘It’s all about fun and that’s what we have been telling the girls. We don’t want them to take anything to heart. I want them to have fun ahead of anything else.’

The venue has a capacity of between 150 and 200 people. Over 50 tickets have already been sold, with more available at the Carlton Hotel on the night.

The format of this year’s competition is a change from the past. It will include three parts: an evening dress class, a casual class and a swimsuit section.

First prize is a Hyundai car for a year with free insurance.

The decision that there would be a swimsuit section stirred debate when it was announced in mid-June, but Mr Pires sticks by the decision to include the category.

‘Miss Guernsey has been a traditional event for a while. I’ve looked in the files and there were pictures of them wearing swimsuits more than 20 years ago.

‘It’s a shame that people are making a fuss about it now.

‘We have gone towards using a Miss World format and I think we have improved upon it.

‘The top prize is worth £7,000 this year. That is easily the best prize ever.’