Attorney Shanique Sommerville Wins Miss Westmoreland Festival Queen 2026 Crown

Westmoreland will send a practising attorney to the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition for the second year running, after Shanique Sommerville claimed the parish crown on Sunday.

Sommerville, 28, from the Peggy Barry area of Grange Hill, was named the parish representative at a coronation showcase held at the Sean Lavery Faith Hall in Savanna-la-Mar. Competing under the banner Miss Western Ice-Cream Depot, she walked away with four of the six sectional prizes on offer: Most Active in the Community, Most Poised, Most Culturally Aware, and Most Popular on Social Media.

The new queen said she intends to draw on her legal training throughout her reign, much like the holder who came before her. Her planned initiative, Rights and Resilience Westmoreland, will teach residents about common legal issues including traffic offences, wills, and property ownership, while also supporting mental wellness in communities still rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa.

"My project is Rights and Resilience Westmoreland. It is a two-pronged initiative that will use legal literacy and wellness to build a safer Westmoreland," she explained. "Many Westmorelandites don't know their rights. We need to be more informed so that we can access the justice system the way it is intended to work."

From her work inside the justice system, Sommerville said many Jamaicans find it hard to handle matters involving traffic, property ownership, and the need for a valid will. "I have seen situations where families are left struggling because a loved one passed away without a will, or where people occupy property for years without understanding the proper legal processes involved. These are issues that affect everyday Jamaicans, and education can make a real difference," she said.

She added that watching residents grapple with hardship after Hurricane Melissa deepened her view that communities need both practical information and emotional support to recover. "People needed support in different ways. Yes, they need to understand their rights, but they also need encouragement, resources, and spaces to heal," she added.

Sommerville said hearing her name called as winner felt especially significant, given that she was also serving as a clerk of courts at the Corporate Area Traffic Court, chairing the Luminaria Ceremony for the Jamaica Cancer Society's Relay for Life event, and travelling regularly between Kingston and Westmoreland for Festival Queen duties. The result carried extra weight because it came on her second try for the title. "This has always been a passion of mine. It is my second time entering, so to win on my second time, it's an awesome feeling. I didn't want to lose again, so it's just an awesome feeling to really achieve this goal," she said.

She defeated seven other contestants to take the crown. Crystal Whittaker, Miss Royal Pharmacy, was named first runner-up and won the Best Performance sectional award. Manning's School student Zyisha Walker, representing Devmar Solar Energy, placed second runner-up. Shandine Perrin, Miss C&WJ Co-operative Credit Union, received the Most Congenial honour.

Sommerville will join 12 other parish queens at the national Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition, set for Saturday, August 1, at the Independence Village inside the National Stadium's Independence Park complex in St Andrew.