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Belfast Live
Entertainment
Sophie McLaughlin

Miss Northern Ireland 2022: 24 girls gear up to compete for the crown

Excitement is building as this year's finalists prepare to take the stage for the finale of the Miss World Northern Ireland Contest 2022 on Monday night, May 23.

24 finalists are all ready to compete to win the coveted Miss NI title at the Europa Hotel.

Current title-holder Anna Leitch went all the way at Miss World to place in the top six and be crowned Miss Europe 2022.

Read more: Miss World 2022 coming to Belfast to judge Miss NI final

Tonight's winner will follow in Anna's footsteps to represent NI at the 71st Miss World pageant.

Miss World 2022, Karolina Bielawska from Poland, has made the journey to Northern Ireland to judge the 24 girls in their Miss NI journey.

Here are the girls battling it out for the crown in tonight's Gala Final in Belfast.

Sarah-Louise Watson

(Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)

Representing Dromore in the famous beauty competition, Sarah-Louise, 22, will take to the stage in this year's gala final. She is a PhD Medicine researcher at Queen's University Belfast.

Rainer Nelson

(Rainer Nelson/ Instagram)

Domiciliary Community Care Worker Rainer is also excited to be part of this unique journey. The 20-year-old hails from Hillsborough in Co Down. She also lived in Spain for most of her childhood.

Rebekah Martin

(Rebekah Martin/ Instagram)

23-year-old Rebekah is also ready to fight for the crown this year. From Belfast, she is a Civil Servant who also is a dance teacher and has her own dance club.

Claudia Todd

(Claudia Todd/ Instagram)

Claudia Todd is an 18-year-old from Ballymena. During her gap year, she is a Macmillan Cancer volunteer and member of St John's Ambulance Service. She also works for 'Wee Bugs & Besties', hosting parties showing all kinds of animals and creepy crawlies.

Gráinne Farrell

(Gráinne Farrell/ Instagram)

Dancing from the age of seven, 21-year-old Gráinne has competed all over the world in Salsa, Latin and Hip-Hop dancing. The Crumlin woman is also a History and Politics student at Queen's University.

Lucy Johnston

(Lucy Johnston/ Instagram)

Calling the competition something she's "always wanted to do", 19-year-old Lucy is ready to show her stuff at Miss NI 2022. The Co Armagh girl is a style director at Toasted Wood.

Katie McErlean

(Katie McErlean/ Instagram)

Professional actor Katie from Belfast makes another lovely addition to the 2022 line-up. She has called entering into the world of Miss Northern Ireland "the most exciting thing ever".

Hannah Cairns

(Hannah Cairns/ Instagram)

Hannah is a 25-year-old student from Hillsborough. She is currently studying a PGCE in Primary Education and is also a singing teacher. She is this year's talent show winner.

Ellen Knox

(Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)

One of the youngest in this year's contest, 19-year-old Ellen is a student at Queen's University from Portrush. Miss Lisburn 2022 is a RNLI lifeguard in the summer and is also an assistant coach at her dance school.

Lois Banks

(Lois Banks/ Instagram)

22-year-old Lois is used to the world of fashion and beauty as she works as a makeup artist and is based in Waringstown. Co Down. She is our 2022 Miss Antrim representative.

Daria Gapska

(Daria Gapska/ Instagram)

This year's Miss Nu Delhi is 20-year-old Daria. Qualifying at the first live heat of the year, she is a Children's Nursing student from Belfast.

Zoe Stewart

(Zoe Stewart/ Instagram)

22-year-old Zoe is from Strabane, Co Tyrone. Zoe is a baker and cake decorator who can whip up some incredible and tasty designs.

Sasha Boyle

(Sasha Boyle/ Instagram)

"Delighted" to be taking on the title of Miss Spice at the 2022 contest, Sasha Boyle is a Sales and Marketing Specialist Recruitment Consultant from Belfast.

Poppy Smith

(Miss Northern Ireland Contest/ Instagram)

Portadown contestant Poppy Smith is a student at Queen's University in Belfast. The 21-year-old is completing a degree in Biomedical Science.

Róna Mallon

(Róna Mallon/ Instagram)

23-year-old contestant Róna Mallon hails from Dungannon, Co Tyrone. She works as a Special Educational Needs teacher and is delighted to be part of the "exciting journey" of Miss NI 2022.

Sarah Maguire

(Sarah Maguire/ Instagram)

26-year-old Sarah is ready to shine in this year's competition. The striking redhead is a Technical Sales Manager from Armagh. Like Stacey, she knows her way around the stage at the Europa, having entered the 2021 contest.

Beth Preston

(Beth Preston/ Instagram)

Currently a student at Ulster University in Coleraine, Beth will also shine on stage at the Europa this year. She is 20-years-old and comes from Newtownhamilton in Co Armagh. Beth is studying Biomedical Science with Pathology at university.

Lisa-Marie Saygivar

(Lisa-Marie Saygivar/ Instagram)

Lisa-Marie Saygivar is a 25-year-old skincare specialist and business owner from Rostrevor. She is the founder of Ari Nadúr, a luxury organic skincare brand.

Zoe Edwards

(Zoe Edwards/ Instagram)

25-year-old Zoe is a qualified nurse and is a strong mental health advocate. She will be representing her hometown of Lisburn in this year's contest.

Anna Robinson

(Anna Robinson/ Instagram)

Anna is another young contestant at only 18-years-old, but she isn’t letting that stop her. Currently studying for her A-Levels at Grosvenor Grammar, she works part-time at Hillmount Garden Centre.

Stacey Burns

(Stacey Burns/ Instagram)

Also known as ‘BelfastMediaGirl’, 23-year-old Stacey works in Northern Ireland’s budding film and TV industry. The media blogger & freelancer from Lisburn is a familiar face to the competition, having competed against Anna last year for the crown.

Liza Kachura

(Liza Kachura/ Instagram)

Taking on the title of Miss Spice Lisburn in this year's competition, Liza is a 19-year-old Ukrainian born multi-lingual fashionista. From Ballynahinch in Co Down, she also works as an accountant.

Aoife McGurgan

(Aoife McGurgan/ Instagram)

Also showing off what Armagh has to offer, technology consultant Aoife, 24, is ready to take to the stage. She works for Microsoft and is a major animal lover.

Rebekah Rutherford

(Rebekah Rutherford/ Instagram)

Rebekah from Holywood, Co Down, is studying Sports Coaching and Performance at Ulster University. During the pandemic, the 24-year-old started her own brand specialising in sailing and outdoor equipment with a focus on female participation in sport.

*Finalists have been listed at random and do not reflect any sort of order or preference

Read more: Miss NI 2021 Anna Leitch says winning the crown "feels like a dream"

Read more: Actor and business owner among those selected compete for Miss NI 2022

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