Mr Gay Pride Australia 2019 will be decided in regional Victoria with the competition finale heading to Daylesford’s ChillOut Festival over the Labour Day Weekend in March next year.
Applications for the 2019 competition officially open today which will see the winner head off to represent Australia at Mr Gay World being held in Cape Town, South Africa in May.
In its third year, the Mr Gay Pride Australia competition is designed to find, build and develop future leaders within the LGBTI community with last year’s winner, Perth’s Jordan Bruno, going on to take the title of Mr Gay World 2018 in Knysna, South Africa.
Whilst visiting Daylesford, in Victoria’s Central Highlands, finalists will take part in the ChillOut Festival street parade, meet with locals and take part in challenges with the winner to be announced on the main stage at the ChillOut Carnival in Victoria Park.
Mr Gay Pride Australia 2017 and Co-Producer David Francis said the partnership with ChillOut Festival is an ideal step forward for the competition spreading LGBTI visibility beyond the cities to include regional Australia.
“We want to engage and foster connections with the community in all areas of Australia, from big cities to regional areas and we believe this will be a great opportunity for the competition to grow.
“ChillOut is Australia’s number one Queer Country Pride festival and will give our finalists a chance to connect with locals and experience this fantastic community event, perhaps even encourage others from regional Australia to step up and enter the competition in the future.”
Not A Beauty Contest
Mr Gay Pride Australia is not a beauty contest. A candidate’s physical appearance is not assessed at any stage of the competition and does not form part of the judging criteria with each candidate being judged on the leadership qualities, ability to engage with and their passion to assist and represent the broader LGBTI community.
The 2019 competition will be conducted online initially with nominees asked to submit their entries and take part in both a social media and issues campaign to get them to the finalist’s stage.
InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto To Host Judging
Eight finalists will be chosen and they will participate in a series of judged events at the InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto for two days before heading to Daylesford for the final day of judging and the winner’s announcement.
InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto’s General Manager Erik Stuebe said the partnership with Mr Gay Pride Australia, in its second year, is of great value to the hotel.
“It was our absolute pleasure to host the finalists and judges for Mr Gay Pride Australia 2018 and we are excited about continuing that relationship again with the 2019 competition,” said Erik Stuebe.
“The hotel values the community contribution and engagement Mr Gay Pride Australia showcases. This community involvement is in line with our hotel values and pleased we were given the opportunity to be a returning partner for 2019.”
Interested Australian residents aged 18 years and above are eligible to apply for Mr Gay Pride Australia and official registrations are now open. Visit mrgayprideaustralia.com for more details.
ChillOut Festival Daylesford, Australia’s number one Queer Country Pride festival, will be held between 7th and 11th of March 2019. More information at chilloutfestival.com.au.
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