An Expected Win at The New Paper New Face 2009

By: Toh Neng Li Wendy

English-Malay Malaysian, Victoria Bradbury was crowned winner amongst twenty other finalists at The New Paper New Face 2009 grand finals, held at Takashimaya Square.

The 19-year-old Stansfield College law student, who has been modeling since she was fourteen, walked away with the grand cash prize of S$10,000, as well as a subsidiary Miss Levi’s Lady Award title.

“I was shocked and happy all at once, it was so nerve-racking that I almost cried,” Victoria said of her win.

Victoria was a favourite amongst the judges, who shared a consensus on the choice for the winner.

Creative director of The New Paper New Face Daniel Boey said that Victoria had left the deepest impression amidst the hundreds of hopefuls who had turned up for the competition.

The winner herself said she had expected to be one of the top three finalists at The New Paper New Face 2009, but did not anticipate her win because “the other girls were gorgeous too.”

When asked what set Victoria aside from the others, Foong Wenjia, 22, a finalist in The New Paper New Face 2008, said, “Confidence is one of the top ranked criteria the judges look out for – making an impression on stage is what wows the judges and scores you points. I find that mixed-bloods tend to be more confident than the Asian counterpart.”

For fellow contestant Colette Miles, 19, far right, Victoria was a shoo- in because “she has a really sweet face” on top of looking like a
professional model. “We’ve been told that the contest looks for contestants with the girl-next-door approachable quality,” she added.

On top of her looks, it was also sheer hard work that earned Victoria the top spot. “Victoria worked very hard for this competition, and she
also often had to make long journeys between Singapore and Johor Baru,” Victoria’s mother, Mrs. Sally Bradbury, 50, said.

“I felt it all that travelling was finally worth it,” Victoria, who has been modeling in Malaysia since she was fourteen, said. “I hope I will get more jobs in Singapore.”

The annual competition, running for the 17th year, is a glitzy 90-minute face-off amongst twenty finalists vying for The New Paper New Face 2009, Miss Popularity and three sponsored subsidiary awards.

The girls were judged by a panel of six experts from the fashion and media industry as they strutted down the catwalk decked out in different swanky outfits for four distinct themes.

First and second runners-up Julie Tan and Tan Minyi both walked away with S$5,000 and S$3,000 cash respectively. Another double winner of the night was Avena Seow, who bagged The New Paper Miss Popularity, on top of Subaru Miss Vivacious Award. The final subsidiary award of Innershine Miss Beautiful Eyes Award went to Sherena Ng.

It might have been an expected win, but it was no walkover.

“There will always be a few girls who everyone expects to win,” finalist, June Dang, 21, below, said. “But each of us still gave our best shot, and I think all the New Face girls have learnt a lot, especially after six months of hard work. So everyone is a winner!”