Miss Marone 1920

**Miss Marone 1920**, then-referred to as ***La plus belle femme de Marone*** ("The Most Beautiful Woman of Marone"), was the first edition of the Miss Marone pageant. The pageant was organized throughout the summer of 1920, by Maronan film producers Théodore Gilson and Mathieu Lemaître, as a means of discovering the next great Maronan film starlet. Following a nationwide search for contestants, 22 finalists were selected by Gilson and Lemaître, each representing one of the 22 regions of Marone. Their photographs were distributed to filmgoers throughout the nation prior to the start of their films, with each individual being able to cast a ballot for their favorite photograph. The winner was selected as the contestant who received the most votes.

On 28 August 1920, Birjiñe Mañarieta of Terre Chasque was announced as the winner by Gilson and Lemaître, in addition to the six other women ranked below her. Mañarieta was crowned in Delmas during an official crowning ceremony, and was awarded a film contract with Legilson Productions.

## Background

In the early 20th century, Legilson Productions was one of the leading film production studios in Marone, with a number of successful films produced by the company and movie stars signed to exclusive contracts. In 1919, amidst discussion on furthering their publicity, studio co-founders and executives Théodore Gilson and Mathieu Lemaître opted to introduce a nationwide search to find the studio's next starlet, which they dubbed *La plus belle femme de Marone*.

From September 1919 to May 1920, Gilson and Lemaître traveled to all 22 regions of Marone in order to scout contestants. Advertisements were aired prior to the screening of every film produced by Legilson Productions, in addition to printed advertisements in local and national newspapers. Gilson and Lemaître stated that they were looking for a beautiful woman who was comfortable expressing herself in front of the camera, and urged both family members and friends to nominate women in their lives who they thought could be strong candidates. The 22 finalists were selected by Gilson and Lemaître in June 1920, and invited to Delmas to participate in a photoshoot for the competition, which was to be held throughout the summer of 1920, with a winner being announced by August.

In order to be considered as a contestant, contestants must:

* Be a resident of their designated region
* Be between the ages of 15 and 20
* Be unmarried, without children, and female
* Have a physical appearance deemed to be beautiful and in-line with modern conventions
* Never have associated themselves with or engaged in conduct deemed improper or damaging to their reputation

## Results

 **6th Runner-Up** |  **Pitaine** – Gisèle Chuquet

## Format

Following the selection of the 22 finalists in May 1920, the finalists were invited to a photoshoot in Delmas, where they posed for their official portraits to be used in the competition. While in Delmas, the 22 finalists additionally appeared in news articles by the Maronan media, to further publicize the competition. Afterwards, prior to the screening of every film produced by Legilson Productions, audience members were shown the photographs of the 22 finalists, and asked to select their favorite via a secret ballot. The names and home regions of the contestants were not shown in order to reduce regional biases. Individuals who attended multiple films were eligible to vote every time they attended a film.

The voting period began in June 1920, and concluded in August, by which time more than 4,000,000 votes were received from across the nation. The ballots were mailed to Delmas, and hand-counted by Gilson and Lemaître. The reveal of the results was scheduled to be held on 28 August 1920 in Delmas, with all 22 finalists being invited, although eight did not attend. Gilson and Lemaître announced the winner, in addition to the six women who received the next highest amount of votes. The winner of the competition was awarded a five-year film contract with Legilson Productions, while each of her six runners-up received one-year trial film contracts with Legilson Productions.