A pair of Okotoks teens have were crowned at this year's Miss Teen Calgary Pageant earlier this month.

16-year-old Genevieve Van Muyen was the recipient of the Miss Jr. Teen Southern Alberta 2020 title and 14-year-old Emma Glowatsky was honoured with Miss Jr. Teen Calgary.

Of course, with health regulations surrounding all public events, this year's pageant was significantly different from years past.

Competitors were given the option of appearing in-person or virtually.

Talent and fundraising portions of the event were not included, leaving only the interview, evening gown, and swimwear categories.

Additionally, the audience size was limited, and masks were required for spectators and competitors when backstage.

Glowatsky, who had never competed in a pageant previously, says the win definitely came as a surprise.

"I was quite nervous because the other girls were so awesome. They were really great competition. I was so excited afterward, and the next day was my birthday so it was a great present!"

She says 

"What really shocked me about it is that so many people still think that pageants are about beauty, but I really found out by competing in this that it's more about how you present yourself and represent your city."

Normally, titleholders would attend several events throughout the year, though COVID will also have a huge impact on that aspect of the pageant.

While the future remains uncertain for most of those events, plans are still in place to crown the queens in the "Little Miss" category at the end of the month, an event the titleholders will still be directly involved in.

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