29/08/2026
Open letter to national pageants organizers.
By CoachWill.
1.Why do you guys wait for weeks or months without giving winners their prizes?
2.Why do you organize national pageants without fully disclosing prizes in advance ?
3.How clean is your funding for these pageants and are you doing enough to protect models from sponsorship-based influence.
4.Why do you refuse to recognize, appreciate and remunerate the many agencies who groom the models you use, these models are raised from grassroots to polished gems imi mozongoita Mapeageants , how do you think Agents, Coaches and Model agencies they survive?
People who work with models get paid when the models they work with get paid. That is the professional Worldwide 🌍 standard.
In some cases you're provided models with agencies and yet you can't even off complimentary seats or tickets etc..
Lindsay Thompson's Zimbabwe supermodel of the early 2000s made models and agencies feel specia and appreciateedl, no wonder that is still the best pageant we have had so far in Zim..
5. It's a fact that models spend a lot cash in preparation for these pageants and sometimes they don't make it, don't you think participation fees are a good motivation?
There was a Miss Tourism Zim organized a few years ago by the wife of a certain minister, all participants were offered 1k and employment opportunities!
You could think like-wise and inspire good quality and fresh new models.
6.What plans do you put in place for outgoing queens, surely you could help them to secure employment?
And why have you not migrated to electronic judging systems and while at it why not work with industry experts instead of start-up entrepreneurs and socialites.
7.Have you noticed that the industry is not producing new models lately? Most of these models taking crowns locally have been around long enough, part of the reason is that agencies have no real incentives to collaborate with you guys the models themselves are looking for life changing opportunities not just trips a little cash and cars.
8.Why don't you organize workshops prior to your pageants to explain your vision, invite new ideas and basically make these events nationally inclusive.And why don't your explain in detail to the nation about voting issues, the support you or the model needs and most importantly appeal to all of us as nation, including vari kumusha and urbans.
9.Until a real economy is created around pageantry, until monetization is a priority in in the industry, until national pageants are not treated as pet projects and ego platforms the only growth in industry will be an increase in the number of so called national pageants and creation of scandals that kill the dreams of our local models.
For those interacting with me for the first time, here is a brief profile...
I became a model coach and agent way back in 1996 when most of the current beauty Queens where not even born!
I speak with experienced voice and my background in in the industry is traceable.
I have two modeling industry awards to my name including A Life time achievement award .
Models I have coached have Victorious in almost all of the past and current national titlespageants including Miss Universe, Tourism, Zimbabwe, UZ. Zambia-Zimbabwe and many others.
The industry has potential for growth, a case in point is Zimbia.. right now they are way ahead of us a country because these guys are organized and unified.
Pageant tourism can be a huge business here in Zimbabwe, if we are to copy a few notes from East Asia countries that mostly rely on such event activities to boost their economies and tourist arrivals.
In Zimbabwe we don't value our models and the people who scout, ,groom and support them. And in general models usually get peanuts and the ones who stand with them are rubbished, Organizers actually end up taking center stage and they private sponsors yet the goal should always be supporting the model and the industry!
It never ceases to surprise me to see local pageant organizers rushing around to pay venues, artists, decor in cash for their shows yet afterwards you hear that there's was no prize money or it will be sourced and offered later?
Why organize a national pageant musina paycheck yema Queens?
The other thing is in this business mileage is bankable! but you hardly ever hear the behind the scene professionals being mentioned or appreciated publicly.
Let's hope 2027, will be better because this 2026, will still end internationally crownless for Zim as all the years before, because hatita kurongeka.
Organizers please incentivise your models adequately including every other industry expert.
There are many new models out there and innovative concepts you could tap into if you're going to treat pageantry as a business embrace transparency pazvese.
I write this as board member of Modeling Industry Watchdog Zimbabwe,(MIWZ) a private organization that looks at issues that affects the industry.
I also serve as the deputy president of
Zimbabwe Modeling Industry Association of Zim. (MIAZ).
Let's work right...
