North West

The search is on to find the next Miss England finalists, with the first five contestants now confirmed for the North West Beauty Awards 2026.

Five inspiring  women from across the region have secured their places in this year’s regional final and will now compete for one of three coveted places in the Miss England 2026 Grand Final, which takes place on 17th November 2026 at the prestigious Athena, Leicester.

Meet the first five finalists

Harley Jade Chesworth (21) – Make-up Artist from Manchester Tara Sampson (24) – Police Officer from Chorley Tabitha Bennett (21) – Fashion Student from Mere, CheshireKunwal Nadeem (22) – HR Coordinator from ManchesterLaiba Khursheed (20) – Actress from Cheshire

Top left – Tabitha Bennet from Mere , Tara Sampson from Chorley , Bottom row left Kunwal Nadeem from Manchester , Harley Jade Chesworth from Manchester and Laiba Khusheed from Cheshire

The finalists  are invited to take part in a variety of challenges that make Miss England one of the country’s most unique competitions, rewarding personality, achievements and community involvement alongside confidence.

The contestants will compete in several fast-track rounds, including:

Beauty with a Purpose fundraising challenge in aid of Maggie’s  , Talent Round  , Bare Face Top Model make-up free online competition  & Explore the Nation, showcasing the area where they live . All are invited to take part in the Miss England Sports Round after the presentation on 4th October  , testing fitness, teamwork and determination!

Each challenge offers contestants the opportunity to win awards and fast-track places as they bid to secure a North West title and a place in the national final.

The Miss England organisers are continuing to search for more contestants from across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cumbria and Cheshire. Successful applicants who attend the remaining auditions will still have the opportunity to qualify for the North West final and compete alongside the finalists already announced.

The North West Beauty Awards winners presentation will take place at MediaCity, Salford, on 26th September 2026, where at least three winners will be crowned to represent the region at the Miss England Grand Final in Leicester.

At the national final, contestants from across England will compete for the prestigious Miss England title, with the winner earning the honour of representing England at the 76th Miss World competition.

Meanwhile, the current Miss England, Grace Richardson from Leicester, is preparing for the biggest competition of her life. Next month, the Performing Arts graduate will travel to Vietnam to represent England at the 75th Miss World Festival, where she will showcase her talent and her Beauty with a Purpose project, Every Drop Counts, on the international stage.

Applications for the remaining North West places are still open, giving more young women the opportunity to follow in Grace’s footsteps and begin their own Miss England journey. To apply , please apply on the Miss England website here 

https://www.missengland.info/enter-competition/

     A Chorley police officer and a Manchester make-up artist were the first two women  to attend the first regional North West  Miss England audition last weekend . Both are hoping to follow in the footsteps of reigning Miss England Grace Richardson who is due to represent England at the 75th Miss World Festival in Vietnam this August- September 5th.  

The search for the next Miss England finalists from the North West officially began at the Park Hall Hotel & Spa in Chorley on Sunday, 5th July, during the Miss Asiana North event which was held as the Park Hall Wedding show in association with Asiana.tv.

Guests attending the wedding show were treated to a special performance by reigning Miss England Grace Richardson, who won the national Talent Award in Miss England before being crowned Miss England last November 2025.

Grace is set to fly next month with Vietnam Airlines to represent England at the 75th Miss World Festival, taking place from 8th August to 5th September 2026.

One of the first contestants in the North West to secure a place in the Miss England semi-finals is Laiba K from Cheshire, a 20-year-old actress who was crowned Miss Asiana North 2026 at the event. The title celebrates Asian culture and provides a direct route into the Miss England competition. Laiba met with former Miss World 2025 finalist Charlotte Grant from Liverpool on the day who was a guest at the event.

Laiba K from Cheshire is now in the Miss England Semi finals and is competing as Miss Asiana North with Charlotte Grant from Liverpool.

Once they qualify they will  be invited to take part in a series of challenge rounds, including the Beauty with a Purpose fundraising competition in aid of Maggie’s, the cancer support charity , a talent round and a sportsround . The highest fundraiser by 26th September will be crowned North West Charity Queen at a special North West presentation at MediaCityUK in Salford, earning a direct place in the Miss England national final. Regional titles including Miss Manchester, Miss Lancashire, and Miss Cheshire will also be awarded before the successful contestants to go on to compete at the Miss England Grand Final on 17th November at Leicester’s historic Athena venue.

Miss England Director Angie Beasley who attended the event said:

“The North West has an incredible track record in Miss England, producing outstanding finalists who have gone on to achieve great success internationally.  In 2021 Jessica Gagen now an Aerospace Engineer represented England at Miss World in Mumbai India and finished in the final 8 of Miss World, winning the title Miss World Europe and Miss United Kingdom after promoting her Beauty with a Purpose initative “Women in  Stem”. which she promoted throughout her reign.  Charlotte Grant and actress who also owns her own cosmetic company called “Charlotte Grant Cosmetics  from Liverpool became the Miss England top fundraiser in 2024 by abseiling down Anfield Stadium and represented England at Miss World in 2025. Last years Miss Manchester Victoria Quinlan also won the National Sportswoman award and the highest fundraiser in the whole contest was Tabitha Bennett from Cheshire has recently been recognised recently at parliament! ” 

Angie Beasley – Director of Miss England since 2002 poses with the first two contestants for the North West regional heat

Now organisers are looking for young women who are passionate about making a difference in their communities, whether through fundraising, talent, sport or charity work or their own projects. With Grace  preparing to represent England at Miss World in Vietnam, promoting her cause ” Every Drop Count” a Water conservation and environment project there’s never been a more exciting time to enter.”

Applications are now open for women aged 16 to 27 who live, work or study anywhere in Greater Manchester, Lancashire or Cheshire. Further auditions will take place throughout July and August and selected applications will be invited to enter.

For more information or to apply, visit www.missengland.info.