A local firm of chartered accountants will be responsible for scoring at tomorrow night's Miss Bermuda Islands beauty pageant, it was revealed yesterday.

The move was made by organisers to avoid a repeat of last year's competition when supporters of losing contestants booed the winner because of a scoring dispute.

The contest will also be one of the final public events held in the Southampton's Princess Hotel's Empire Room which will soon be turned into two business entertainment facilities.

"We're looking forward to a smoothly-run contest this year,'' said a pageant organiser. "The lives of several of these young women will change dramatically as a result of the competition.'' Rehearsals for the pageant have been taking place for weeks, and at one of the very last, The Royal Gazette met the 13 young women who will compete for a $10,000 cash first prize, and other awards which together raise the total purse for the competition to more than $40,000.

Few were nervous "as yet'', perhaps because the mood remains one of co-operation, but each understood that as tomorrow evening approaches, that would change.

Their reasons for entering the tournament centred in most cases on building self-esteem, the chance to enjoy an experience one entrant described as a "lifetime dream since I was five years old,'' and the chance to represent Bermuda at the local and international level. None cited the cash prize as a motivating factor, and when asked what they would do with the money should they win, many had to stop and think. Continuing education, gifts to relatives, or debt repayment were the final consensus.

The winner of the pageant will head via London to South Africa to compete in the Miss World 1993 competition. The result, if the contest runs true to form, will be announced in the small hours of Monday morning.

The young women will compete for various competition titles, including Miss Amity, Miss Photogenic, Miss Talent, and Miss Tourism Bermuda.

Tickets are still available for tomorrow's competition, and can be purchased from outside the Library on Queen Street. Showtime is 8 p.m.

ROCK ON! The hopefuls in the Miss Bermuda Islands beauty pageant prepare for the swimsuit round of Sunday's competition at the Empire Room of the Hamilton Princess.