Jamaica has a new queen, and she is on her way to becoming a doctor.

Matea Mahal Smith, 24, was crowned Miss Jamaica World 2026 on Sunday night at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium at Jamaica College in St. Andrew, topping a field of 23 contestants at the grand coronation. Wearing the Miss Aveeno sash, she received the crown from outgoing titleholder Nevaeh Allen, who represented Jamaica at Miss World in Vietnam earlier this year.

First runner-up Daniella Bullock, who wore the Haven Beauty House sash, takes the Miss International Jamaica title. Second runner-up Celine Walters, Miss Frazsiers Whip, is Miss Earth Jamaica. All three queens will carry the flag into international competition.

A run built on consistency

Smith did not arrive at coronation night as an outsider. She won the Fitness Fast-Track Challenge at Emancipation Park, securing an automatic place among the finalists, and placed second in Beach Beauty and third in Top Model along the way. After the fitness win, she credited the support of the women beside her, telling the Jamaica Observer she did it with the girls, and they were cheering her on the entire way.

Brains, advocacy, and two heritages

Raised in Florida, Smith comes from Jamaican and Filipino roots. Her father, Seitu Smith, is a mathematics teacher of Jamaican descent, and her mother, Mari Pantoja-Smith, is Filipina with a background in nursing. Caring for people runs in the family, and Smith has built her life around it.

She graduated cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience. She is a board-certified patient advocate and is completing post-baccalaureate studies at the University of New England as she works toward becoming a doctor.

Pageantry is not new to her either. In 2023 she won Miss Filipina International, becoming the first winner of Black descent in that pageant’s history.

Beauty with a purpose, already in motion

Smith’s platform predates the crown. In 2022 she founded Love Always, Matea, her Beauty With a Purpose initiative supporting children and young people facing illness, disabilities, and life-changing circumstances, with outreach spanning Jamaica, the Philippines, and the United States.

In Kingston, she serves as an ambassador for Sophie’s Place Children’s Home, advocating for children with disabilities and the people who care for them. Her work has also answered the moment at home: a 5K initiative she led raised US$4,000 for Hurricane Melissa relief, supporting more than 100 families and individuals.

She has said she entered Miss Jamaica World to strengthen that advocacy and grow her work with Sophie’s Place. The crown now gives that work a national stage.

Next stop, Tanzania

Smith will represent Jamaica at Miss World 2027, the 74th edition of the pageant, set for Tanzania in September 2027. Jamaica is chasing its fifth Miss World crown, following Carole Joan Crawford in 1963, Cindy Breakspeare in 1976, Lisa Hanna in 1993, and Toni-Ann Singh in 2019.

A queen with a stethoscope in her future and a record of service already behind her. Jamaica’s colours are in purposeful hands.

Reporting: Miss World, the Jamaica Gleaner, and the Jamaica Observer. Photo: Miss Jamaica World.