The 13 finalists for the annual Mr Gay World Southern Africa pageant have just been announced.

And, according to HuffPost, the competition is fierce.

Here’s what we know:

Mr Gay World Southern Africa is not just an easy walk down the runway, it is an intense competition to find the very best ambassador to represent Southern Africa at the Mr Gay World event to be held in 2018.

You can see a selection of the candidates below:

So what exactly does one need to be or do to be crowned Mr Gay World Southern Africa? Organiser Johann van Niekerk explained:

What we’re looking for is a gentleman who is willing to carry the torch for the LGBTQ in South Africa, and globally.

It’s someone who can stand on his own feet, answer questions directly, and be an honest representative of the local LGBTQ community. It’s not about the clothing you’re wearing, or what you look like, but how you present yourself, and the things you believe in.

Contestants will also have to answer a series of ” very personal questions”, both during the run-up to the event and on the “big night”.

In the past, judges have asked contestants to speak openly about “what it was like for them to come out of the closet, and others why they hadn’t yet”.

More from van Niekerk:

“But of course, this is still a beauty pageant, and judges will ask the standard questions like what your favourite colour, animal and dress sense is like,” Van Niekerk explains. “Generational knowledge, like a candidates knowledge of gay history of events like the Stonewall riots, for instance, is another question that often comes up.”

This week, candidates released a series of videos and other promotional material to encourage voters to select them:

The winner, who will be selected through a combination of public voting and several judging rounds, will be announced at a big ceremony in Pretoria at the end of September. The public votes count toward a final mark, which is combined with another mark based on their performance during the orientation week in September, and then a final judging mark at the final ceremony. The winner of Mr Gay World Southern Africa will then go on to represent South Africa at the international finals next year.

Voting is now open for all candidates, closing on Friday 22 September 2017 at midnight, and you can check each and every one out over here.

[source:huffingtonpost]