Destin girl wins Facebooks’ Little Miss Beauty contest for Florida out of 1,112 entries
Tina Harbuck
With a smile that captured hearts and votes, Destin’s Uriah Grace Kitchens won the Little Miss Beauty USA photo contest on Facebook.
Uriah, 7, drew in 18,868 votes in 10 days to win the contest placing her first in the state of Florida out of 1,112 other little girls ages 5-14. She also placed 25th in the nation.
“It was just a little picture-type pageant on Facebook,” said her mother Capt. Brandy Miles Kitchens of the charter boat 5th Day. “We just posted her picture ... she really didn’t have to do anything.”
Kitchens said she’s thought about putting Uriah in little pageants but didn’t want to do the “glamour glitzy things,” so they did the picture pageant.
“I saw the advertisement on Facebook and thought she’s cute enough,” Kitchens said.
So they took a photo and entered the contest.
“I showed her that I put her in the pageant ... the very next day when she woke up she said ’Mom, can I take a picture for my beauty picture today.’ Every day she wants to take a beauty picture,” Kitchens said with a laugh.
Uriah won the contest by people simply voting on Facebook. Kitchens explained that people could vote everyday for free up to 10 times a day. Plus you could buy votes through auction.
“It was cool to see different parents that didn’t know Uriah voting for her,” Kitchens said. “It went viral on Facebook because there were so many people just sharing and saying get your votes in ... it was pretty cool.”
When Kitchens posted the photo on Facebook she also wrote this statement, “Uriah truly has a heart of GOLD, always putting others before herself! She carries a smile that will make even the darkest of times seem full of JOY! #naturalbeauty #Godgivenbeauty #nofilters #nomakeup.”
For placing first in the state of Florida, young Uriah won $50 and a certificate that declares her the winner.
“I’m happy,” Uriah said on a phone call with The Log. “I gave mommy 20 of it.”
As for her plans for the other $30, it remains to be seen.
Her friend said, “save it and buy a boat.”
Uriah is the daughter of Brandy and Michael Kitchens.
