As parts of Australia continue to suffer through record-breaking drought and severe bushfires, Mr Gay Pride Australia will be out supporting regional communities by holding the 2020 competition finale as part of the Rainbow on the Plains Festival in Hay, New South Wales.
Situated in the heart of the Western Riverina, Hay is equally accessible from three of Australia’s major cities. Each year the town and region come alive with the Rainbow on the Plains Festival, full of fun, support, inclusion and celebration of the local and visiting lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex communities, their friends and families.
In its fourth year, Mr Gay Pride Australia, Proudly Sponsored by Trustpilot, is held to find the next LGBTI leaders in Australia where delegates are put through a series of online and face to face challenges. Each year Mr Gay Pride Australia looks for annual LGBTI community events that can host and accommodate the finale weekend.
Producer and Mr Gay Pride Australia 2017 David Francis said with the current dire situation in rural and regional Australia, we were looking to support an amazing local event like the Rainbow on the Plains Festival.
“We wanted an event where the delegates can get amongst and learn from the local community and not only highlight some of the important issues facing the LGBTI community but be able to give back to the broader region,” Francis explained.
“Having previously taken the competition to Melbourne’s Midsumma Carnival and the ChillOut Festival in Daylesford, we wanted to continue the partnerships with amazing grassroots organisations and showcase some of the work people do all around the country, whether in the city or the bush.”
“We are delighted Rainbow on the Plains Festival have agreed to include Mr Gay Pride Australia as part of their 2020 offering and look forward to taking a diverse group of delegates into the heart of Australia and to experience this amazing event.”
Mr Gay Pride Australia is not a beauty contest. A candidate’s physical appearance is not assessed at any stage of the competition and does not form part of the judging criteria.
The 2020 competition will be conducted online initially with nominees asked to submit their entries and take part in both a social media and issues campaign to get them to the finalist’s stage which will then be held in Hay across three days of the festival.
Chair of Hay Mardi Gras Inc, Krista Schade said Rainbow on the Plains Festival was honoured to host Mr Gay Pride Australia 2020 given one of their board members competed in 2019.
“We know the value of the Mr Gay Pride Australia competition, having seen the personal growth in our own board members, Liam Davies, who was runner up in the competition in 2019,” said Krista Schade. “We are so honoured that Mr Gay Pride Australia has chosen to celebrate in our community.”
“It is a wonderful reflection on how Rainbow on the Plains has grown and we wish each of the contestants all the best.”
Interested Australian residents aged 18 years and above are eligible to apply for Mr Gay Pride Australia and official registrations are now open. Visit: mrgayprideaustralia.com for more details.
Rainbow on the Plains Festival will be held between 27th and 29th of March 2020. More information at haymardigras.com.au.
Image: Mr Gay Pride Australia 2019 delegates prepare to march at the Chillout Festival Parade in Daylesford – courtesy of Gay Nation
Source: www.gaynation.co