Beauty pageants helped her grow as an individual and shaped her into the woman she is today—confident, outspoken, and articulate, with great public speaking skills and well-informed on contemporary issues within and outside Sri Lanka’s borders. That’s what the platform does—it empowers women to become the best versions of themselves.
An opportunity
This is exactly what Imaya Liyanage, Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Earth 2014 and Miss Global Beauty Queen Sri Lanka for Miss Global Beauty Queen 2015 realised. Beauty pageants allowed her to dream. She wanted to be a Princess Diana or a Sofia I, but when she understood everything a lot better, she saw that it was an opportunity to grow as an individual. It was a platform of empowerment and one which she aspires to open to many more youth today with her maiden beauty pageant ‘Miss and Mrs Beautiful Sri Lanka in Italy’.
“There are a lot of Sri Lankan girls living in Italy. They are the ones whom I wish to attract to take part in this pageant. Most of them have come here to seek employment. They are trapped in this mindset of performing their professional duties. I felt inclined to do something on behalf of them to revive them of the stress they face due to leading a hectic lifestyle,” Imaya said.
She said that the pageant comes in two parts: to select the most beautiful and talented married Sri Lankan woman in Italy as well as to crown the most attractive and skilled unmarried Sri Lankan woman in the nation.
Imaya Liyanage
“This concept has been popularised throughout Italy during the past few months. Applications are being called from February and we hope to take the next steps from May to July. We hope to hold the grand finale towards September this year. I hope to send the winners to take part in international pageants such as Miss Global Beauty Queen, Mrs Asia International or Mrs Tourism Queen International in 2026,” Imaya said.
She said that the number of those who will take part in the finale will be decided after considering the number of applications that they receive. If there is a satisfactory number of applicants, they hope to select around 15 for each category. If not, around 12 each will make it to the final competition.
“We have gotten a lot of positive feedback. Therefore, I believe that this event has reached the masses, especially through social media platforms. We have popularised it through videos and posters. The response is overwhelming,” she added with a smile.
The concept of this event was born after Imaya migrated to Italy after marriage. She was away from the limelight for almost five years, enveloped in her family life. She is the mother of two today. However, her need to give back something to society has never left her.
Fulfilling experience
“I am based in Milan. It is one of the four main fashion hubs in the world. Therefore, there is a lot of competitiveness in the scene. I was contemplating how I would give something back to society by using my talents, knowledge and experiences. Many wish to make their mark in beauty pageantry today, but they face issues like lost opportunities, and no guidance or knowledge. I felt a strong desire to support such people. I would also be serving myself this way because it will be a fulfilling experience,” Imaya said.
Imaya added that her initial plan was to gather all the Sri Lankan girls working in European countries. However, once she realised that there were more than enough potential candidates in Italy, she decided to base it on Italy itself.
“This is actually the first beauty pageant that I am organising. Therefore, I am using it as a platform to gain experience in that sector. That is why I hesitated to include those who are in other European countries as well. If you do that, then this becomes a mammoth project with so many more things to look into. Since I am new to this, I believe that this will be too much for me. That is one of the reasons why I decided to base it solely on Italian soil. I believe that though it is restricted to one nation, it would be a mega success as we get so many encouraging words and responses.
One of the main criteria here is that the applicants need to be Sri Lankans and based in Italy. They can be children from Sri Lankan parents or even a child who has one Sri Lankan parent and the other can be a foreigner,” she said.
Though only two contestants will be crowned at the finale, justice will be done to all those who showed dedication in taking part in the pageant.
Challenging nature
“You spend a lot of time, money and effort to take part in an event of this nature. It is no walk in the park. Being in this field I know how disappointing it can be to make all that effort and turn back with an empty hand. Even if we get a small token of appreciation for our efforts, it would mean a great thing for them. Therefore, if they make it to the finale, they too will be able to go home with a full heart, laden with presents,” Imaya said.
She said that she had been planning this event consistently since June 2024. It was a huge responsibility and there were many things to discover.
“Many official partners were willing to work with us. We too faced obstacles like some people trying to disrupt this. My biggest challenge was to win the trust and keep those around me without being influenced by these negativities. It was an extremely tough task, but I believe so far I have managed it,” she said.
Queried why there is no “Mr” category, Imaya broke into a smile and said that the thought of including a category for male contestants had been in her mind at first. However, as this was her maiden effort, she wanted to keep things simple and uncomplicated. She wanted to trend on familiar territories. Therefore, she hopes to include a male category in her next venture.
