On Sunday, 23 August 2026, Akéma Carty, Miss Anguilla 2026, returned home to a welcome fit for a queen at the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal, carrying with her a regional crown and a historic victory.
Family, friends, supporters, officials and members of the Miss Anguilla community gathered to celebrate Carty’s achievement at the Miss Caribbean Beauty & Intelligence Pageant in Guyana, where she captured the title.
The competition, held on Saturday, 22 August, saw Carty competing against contestants representing Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, St Maarten, Barbados, St Lucia and Guyana, the latter of which was named first runner-up.
For those of us accustomed to hearing that Anguilla is “small”, Carty’s victory shows that “we are tallawah”, as Honourable Parliamentary Secretary Cordell Richardson quoted in his congratulatory remarks on behalf of the Government of Anguilla.
Her arrival was followed by a reception in the VIP Lounge, where representatives of the Anguilla Festivals Development Commission and the Miss Anguilla Committee welcomed her warmly. But beyond the ceremonial congratulations was a simple sentiment shared by everyone in the room – ‘she had represented us well’.
Amber Woodley, Chairperson of the Miss Anguilla Committee, spoke of the pride surrounding Carty’s performance, particularly her poise, stature and composure during the competition.
“She was not only representing herself but she was representing Anguilla as a whole,” Woodley said, noting that supporters back home had been watching, cheering and clapping along throughout the competition. She also took the opportunity to recognise Carty’s team, whose work behind the scenes, she said, was an important part of the achievement.
Romare Kelsick, Chairperson of the Anguilla Festivals Development Commission, was equally emphatic about what the result means for the island. Congratulating Carty on capturing the crown, he said her performance demonstrated that “Anguilla [was] ready to compete with the rest of the world”.
As Carty exited the terminal, she was greeted by the roaring cheers of family, friends and supporters, including her former fellow Miss Anguilla contestants Kishante Connor-Carty and Ashley Derich. A celebratory motorcade also paraded throughout the island, making this win one for the memory books.
Yet the most revealing part of Carty’s victory came not from the applause surrounding her return, but from what she told The Anguillian Newspaper the following day.
For a moment, the newly crowned queen did not even realise she had won.
“I didn’t know I had won until Miss Guyana whispered to me, ‘You’re the queen,’” Carty recalled. She had convinced herself that the crown had slipped away after she stumbled during the final interview segment. Instead, she discovered that the work she had put in throughout the competition had carried her through.
The experience, she said, reinforced something far bigger than pageantry: “the power of consistency” and the importance of believing in herself even when doubt creeps in.
Her ambassadorial wear – which she previously showcased during the Miss Anguilla 2026 pageant – drew inspiration from the island’s stone wells, structures that once played an essential role in everyday life, particularly for generations of Anguillians who depended on them for water.
“For me, being able to wear something that reflects a piece of their story and ours means so much to me,” she said.
That is where her regional victory becomes particularly relevant to Anguilla. Carty was not simply presenting herself to the Caribbean; she was presenting an idea of Anguilla – an island with limited size but no shortage of imagination, creativity, ambition or heart.
“We may be a small island, but we are filled with so much talent, creativity and heart,” she said. “I wanted to show that our creativity truly knows no bounds.”
So, what comes next?
First, Carty joked, comes a glorious recovery period.
But after the rest and relaxation, she wants to work in Anguilla and build her next chapter here. She hopes to use her reign to give back, particularly to young people, and says she and her team are already considering initiatives that can turn her platform into meaningful action.
“I don’t just want to wear the crown, I want to make the most of what it represents,” she said. “I want my reign to be one where I show up, I serve, I connect with people, and hopefully leave Anguilla a little better than I found it.”
The crown and regional recognition are certainly worth celebrating. But for Anguilla, the greater promise lies in what Carty chooses to do with the visibility that comes with it.
Her victory, she said, has strengthened her confidence and shown her that she can stand alongside talented women from across the Caribbean. More importantly, she hopes the achievement gives others a reason to look towards Anguilla and say, “Anguilla breeds talent.”
As she begins her reign, Carty has made one promise to the island that chose her to represent it: “I promise to carry our island with me wherever I go.”
By Janissa Fleming
