She competed in her first pageant two years ago. The gorgeous Lisa Bennett does not compete with anyone except herself. "Every time I enter a pageant my goal is to do better than the previous year. It's all about being in competition with myself and finding out what I can achieve."

Lisa will have the opportunity to compete at the 2017 Miss Global/Intercontinental Australia Contest later this year.

Despite some misconceptions, beauty pageants are not all about physical appearance. Participants are given a chance to show off their talent, they are given challenging questions to answer. And Lisa Bennett claims that the pageant world helped her to combat issues of self esteem. Discover her story below!

Actor, Model, Musician and the first ever Australian to be crowned Miss Galaxy. Shikye Smith is unstoppable. She does not compete with anyone except herself. In life, there will always be pressure: Succeed. Finish by the deadline. Make impossible things possible (usually within 24-48 hours). Many of the same stressors in pageantry are just as familiar in “real” life: Make sure you look the part. Don’t have any questionable social media posts. Grace and elegance, tact and flexibility, win. Be the best.

When you think modern beauty pageants, your first thought may go to Miss Congeniality or Miss America. Regardless of which springs first into your mind, you may not realize how far back this tradition of celebrating women goes. Beauty and strength are universally celebrated in our society. 

The gorgeous Shelby Brown represented the state of Idaho in 2016 at the prestigious Miss United States Pageant. She has worked as a makeup artist for years. The beauty queen who turned entrepreneur founded her company; Marquess Beauty in 2017. "I decided it was time to take the first step in creating my beauty empire. Pageants gave me a leg up in the industry and a unique perspective as a consumer."

Read on and discover Shelby's inspiring story below!

Meet the gorgeous Ashleigh Wild, Miss Teen Great Britain! The 19-year-old, from Poulton represents girls aged 16-19 years old from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Because pageants are not just about the gowns and crowns. Ashleigh believes they can play a role in the betterment of society. On the 12th May 2016, she suddenly lost her dad due to sepsis. She is determined to help raise awareness of this devastating condition and wants to make a difference by raising as much money as possible for the UK Sepsis Trust by doing numerous fundraising events.

Read on and discover her inspiring story below!