The Chief Executive Officer of the Miss Namibia Organisation has said the pageant is not all about handing out crowns and sashes but more about creating a platform for social change.

Umbi Karuaihe-Upi said this during an interview on nbc's Namibia Connect programme, where she announced that entries for the Miss Namibia and Miss Teen Namibia pageants are closing at the end of February.

Karuaihe-Upi said under the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation banner, the organisation has seen remarkable growth, producing historic milestones on the international stage.

"Remember Jameela |Uiras broke a 20-year hiatus by placing in the Top 20 at Miss Universe 2023. Oriana Ribeiro made history as the first Namibian to secure a Top 3 finish at Miss Teen International. Meanwhile, Miss Earth Namibia 2024, Albertina Haimbala, achieved a Top 12 placement at Miss Earth Universe, and Miss Namibia 2024, Charm Georgia Garises, earned Namibia's first-ever Top 10 finish at Miss Charm."

With such achievements, the Miss Namibia Organisation, Karuaihe-Upi said, continues to prove that it is more than just a beauty pageant.

It is, she says, a movement fostering confidence, leadership, and global representation for Namibian women.

As the 2025 entries roll in, the search for the next ambassadors of change is officially underway.

Applications are available on the nbc website and at any nbc office nationwide.