The contest is meant to select a suitable delegate from both islands to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.
The country's representative in 1977, Janelle Commissiong, became the first person of African ethnicity to win the Miss Universe contest, which was hosted in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
[1] In 1998 Wendy Fitzwilliam captured the Miss Universe title in Hawaii, USA.
She is the second woman from Trinidad and Tobago to win the coveted title after Janelle “Penny” Commissiong.
This was also the first time that two women of African descent won on consecutive occasions, with the prior year's winner being Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago.