By MAY ETAGHERURE ATUZULO

Beyond the Crown: How Queen Grace Ekrakene Wants to Turn Pageantry into a Force for Change

A Beauty Queen with a Broader Mission

FOR Grace Ekrakene, representing Delta State at the Miss Grand Nigeria pageant is about more than the prospect of wearing another crown. The Delta-born model and reigning Queen of Delta @34 hopes to use the national platform to promote education, advance menstrual health awareness and encourage young people to pursue their ambitions.

As she prepares for the competition, Ekrakene is also seeking the support of Deltans and fans around the world. Their votes, she believes, could help her secure the national title and move closer to representing Nigeria at the Miss Grand International competition in Thailand.

Her journey brings together beauty pageantry, cultural representation and social advocacy. Moreover, it reflects her ambition to turn public visibility into an opportunity to promote issues that affect young people and communities.

Rooted in Delta, Reaching for a National Platform

Ekrakene hails from Ughelli North Local Government Area, while her maternal roots are in Sapele, where she resides. As Queen of Delta @34, she already holds a title that connects her public profile with the state’s identity.

Now, the Miss Grand Nigeria competition offers her an opportunity to broaden that representation. By participating at the national level, she hopes to showcase Delta State’s cultural heritage and demonstrate the abilities and aspirations of its young people.

However, her ambitions extend beyond cultural promotion. She sees pageantry as a platform through which she can reach wider audiences, encourage social responsibility and draw attention to causes that deserve sustained public engagement.

That combination of personal ambition and community advocacy forms a central part of her approach to the competition.

Education Shapes Her Advocacy

Ekrakene’s academic background provides another dimension to her public profile. She studied English and Literature at the University of Benin through its affiliation with Delta State College of Education, Mosogar.

Her interests include education, menstrual health awareness and youth development. Through her flagship initiative, EduRise Her Flow, she champions menstrual health education, promotes child education and supports youth empowerment.

These causes give her pageant journey a wider social focus. Rather than treating the competition solely as a contest for recognition, she hopes to use the attention surrounding it to encourage conversations about educational opportunities and the wellbeing of young people.

Furthermore, her work places cultural representation alongside social advocacy. By showcasing Delta State while promoting these causes, she aims to connect the visibility of pageantry with issues that affect communities beyond the competition stage.

Why the Crown Matters

Beauty pageants provide contestants with opportunities to build public profiles and communicate their priorities to wider audiences. For Ekrakene, the Miss Grand Nigeria contest represents a chance to extend her advocacy beyond Delta State.

She has said that her ambition goes beyond winning titles. Instead, she wants to inspire young people, promote social causes and make a lasting contribution to society.

Winning the national crown would put her in contention for the opportunity to represent Nigeria at Miss Grand International. The international competition, founded by Thai media personality and businessman Nawat Itsaragrisil, attracts contestants from more than 100 countries and territories.

Its 15th edition is scheduled for October 2027 in Thailand. Consequently, the Nigerian contest represents a potential stepping stone towards a much larger international stage.

Nevertheless, reaching that stage depends first on success in the national competition. Ekrakene must therefore combine her advocacy ambitions with the immediate task of building support among voters and pageant followers.

A Call to Deltans & Supporters Worldwide

As the contest approaches, Ekrakene has appealed to Deltans and fans across the globe to vote for her.

She explained that the second phase of voting would involve monetary contributions and would begin after all contestants had settled into camp. Her appeal underscores the importance she places on public participation in the competition.

The schedule she provided indicated that contestants were expected to enter camp on 30 October 2026, before the grand finale on 1st November at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, Airport Road, opposite the Vegetable Market, Benin City, Edo State.

For her supporters, the contest offers an opportunity to back a contestant who intends to combine pageantry with educational advocacy, menstrual health awareness and cultural promotion.

At the same time, the campaign places Ekrakene’s ambitions before a wider audience, giving her an opportunity to communicate the social objectives behind her participation.

From Personal Ambition to Community Impact

Ekrakene’s journey illustrates how a beauty title can serve as a starting point for broader public engagement. Her academic background, advocacy initiative and cultural ties to Delta State form the foundation of the message she hopes to take to the national stage.

Still, the significance of the journey will depend not only on the outcome of the competition but also on how effectively she advances her stated causes. Sustained advocacy requires continued engagement, practical initiatives and a willingness to keep public attention focused on the issues being promoted.

For now, her immediate goal is to secure the support needed to compete for the Miss Grand Nigeria crown. Beyond that contest, she hopes to expand the reach of EduRise Her Flow and encourage young people to see education, personal development and community service as worthwhile pursuits.

Ultimately, Ekrakene wants the crown to represent more than a personal achievement. She hopes it will provide a platform to amplify her advocacy, celebrate Delta State and demonstrate how pageantry can contribute to conversations about education, health awareness and youth empowerment.