presents
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QUEST TO CROWN
MERFOLK ROYALTY
ABOARD THE VALIANT LADY
October 30 – November 5, 2022
Miami, Honduras, Mexico & the Bahamas
Presenting the world’s first mer-competition held aboard a gorgeous Virgin Voyages cruise ship! This unique event featured 20 mermaids and mermen from around the world as they sailed the Caribbean to compete in underwater skills and pageantry for the honor to be crowned King of the Seas & Queen of the Seas — with our Grand Prize Winner receiving the trip of a lifetime with Virgin Voyages around the charming coats and iconic isles of Greece.
Even though the ship has already sailed, we still have more titles to award to empower more mers with their careers and activism platforms! We seek to give a voice to merfolk everywhere so that the humans will hear our call to support our seas and communities. Together we can be the change we wish to SEA in the world!
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NATIONAL TITLES: We can award one King and one Queen title per US or Canadian state/providence.
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INTERNATIONAL TITLES: We can also award one King and one Queen title per country (you can represent your ethnic roots regardless of where you currently live).
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We are announcing our Round 2 winners very soon, applications are still open so please contact usa.missmermaid@gmail.com to confirm if your state or country title is available.
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This is an inclusive competition that celebrates the diversity of:
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All ages
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All marital statuses
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All body types
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All experience levels
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All countries and nationalities
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All genders or identities (contestants of any gender can choose to identify as Mermaid Queens or Merman Kings)
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Produced by Miss Mermaid USA directors Lauren Chu & Chelsi Wilkerson
Art by Mermaid Zari
TOP 20 FINALISTS
Mermaids & Mermen from around the world submitted to our Round 1 Applications and the Top 20 were awarded National & International Sea Queen and Sea King titles! These Finalists won a 1 week Caribbean voyage on Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady for the competition! Our Kings & Queens sailed the Caribbean from October 30 – November 5, 2022 with stops in Roatán in Honduras, Cozumel in Mexico and Bimini in the Bahamas.
THE FINPERIAL COUNCIL
Mermaids don’t judge! So we are pleased to present the Members of The Finperial Council who presided over the competition to crown the King & Queen of the Seas! As industry leaders, The Council’s job is not to criticize performance, their role is to select leaders among mers! We seek to give a voice to a King & Queen who can represent merfolk in all our strengths, from flashy fish fashion that hooks one’s attention to the regal presence, personality and platform to reel them in. It is time the world hears our siren call to come to the aid of our seas and communities! Together we can be the change we wish to SEA in the world!
QUEST TO THE CROWN
Mermaids & Mermen came together in the same competitions featuring entertainment, costuming, pageantry and underwater skills, with the top 3 numerical scores receiving the 3 following titles, and the highest overall score winning the GRAND PRIZE trip aboard the Mermaiden Virgin Voyage in Greece!
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King of the Seas (highest scoring merman)
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Queen of the Seas (highest scoring mermaid)
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Regent of the Seas - Runner Up (next highest scoring mermaid or merman)
POOLSIDE MERSONAS
Charisma, Character & Costume
Sunbathing Mermaids & Mermen flash their fins in this interactive competition that’s all about charisma, character & costume. Get to know each contestant’s unique “Mersona” that they have craftily curated. Which mers will lure you to sea? Sailors cast their votes for the fish that hook their hearts, as mers vie for the coveted Sailor’s Choice Award.
Photo Merman Andy, Sea King of California by Justin Lutsky
SHELLO! SHOWCASE
National Costume & Interview
A merriffic showcase of culture, diversity and activism! Mers take to the stage with pride for their roots and home waters in their National Costumes! Featuring a variety of outfits from traditional garb to fantasy fashions, each Mer will answer interview questions about how their activism platform sets the stage for solutions.
Photo of Carrie Wata, Sea Queen of the Virgin Islands
GLAM-MER AT SEA
Swimwear, Formalwear & Talent Show
Clam-mer for Glam-mer as our Top 12 Mermaids & Mermen show what they can do with their human legs. With unique stage talents from baton twirling to belly dancing, these show fish have got it all! Mers flaunt what they’ve got on the catwalk to show off their personality with the most fashionable mer-style swim and resort wear. Then comes the glimmer and glam as Mer’s glide gracefully down the runway in dazzling formalwear to strike a pose with presence and poise!
Photo of Blixunami, Sea King of South Carolina by Justin Lutsky
MER-MAGIC MOMENTS
Underwater Posing
It all comes together under the surface! Our Top 12 Fin-alists finally get to show what it really means to be a Mer in an underwater photoshoot that captures pure mer-magic in its natural element at the Beach Club in Bimini. Our Members of the Finperial Council watch the underwater live-stream as each mer has only a few minutes to make magic for our Underwater Mertographer. This final round is the ultimate deciding factor in who is crowned the King & Queen of the Seas!
Photo of Luna Marie, Sea Queen of the Sunshine State
AND THE WINNER IS...
GRAND PRIZE WINNER - King of the Seas - Merman Andy - Sea King of California
Queen of the Seas - Luna Marie - Sea Queen of the Sunshine State
Regent of the Seas - William Roehl - Sea King of Hawai'i
Photos by Justin Lutsky
KING OF THE SEAS
MERMAN ANDY
QUEEN OF THE SEAS
LUNA MARIE
WATCH THE MAGIC UNFOLD
We are excited to announce that The King & Queen of the Seas competition is featured as the finale of the new MerPeople docu-series on Netflix. Tune in to get to know the unique stories behind our Kings & Queens and see the mer-magic come to life!
