20-year-old Hortence Shema has been shortlisted as a Rwandan contestant in the ongoing Miss Nation beauty pageant 2020.  

The International beauty pageant is a platform to celebrate peace, educate unity and love while supporting the natural beauty of a lady without artificial transformation.

It brings together contestants from different countries who come together to contest for the world’s most admired girl, campaigning for a beautiful and peaceful world.

The beauty pageant’s message focuses on advocating for natural beauty, the reason the winner of the pageant becomes a special ambassador for the project.

Shema is among 22 other candidates vying for the crown at this year’s event, and according to her, it is an honor to represent her country in this contest.

"First, it is an honor to represent Rwanda in this contest, which has values echoing the Rwandan traditional norms”, she said in an exclusive interview.

Shema also urged Rwandans to vote for her saying: "I think that my chance is in the hands of Rwandans, if they vote, I might win. If they don’t, then the chances might reduce,” she added.  

The contest started on November 25, and the grand finale is slated for December 17, virtually.

The contest is an international quest for beauty and brains. Unlike most other prestigious pageants, Miss Nation participants are not required to compete in swimsuits.

The winner will take home $2,000, get a free trip to wonderful villas of Dubai and become a global ambassador of the Stay you campaign.  

The campaign, also called #stayU, focuses on natural and unique beauty, calling on girls and young women to not compare themselves with other girls and refrain from plastic surgery to change themselves. Miss Nation aims to bring nations together to admire each other’s values and show their own identity.

Last year, Sudanese model, actress, and entrepreneur Olla Sidi was crowned the pageant’s queen.