Official regulations

These regulations set out the principles, conditions, procedures and rules that apply to the organisation of and the participation in Africa Royal Queen 2027, hereafter ARQ. They apply to:

• the candidates
• the national representatives
• the National Directors
• the jury members
• the members of the organisation
• the partners involved in the competition
• the national and international activities linked to ARQ

Anyone officially taking part in ARQ must comply with these regulations and with the official instructions issued by the organisation.

Africa Royal Queen is organised by Elite Events, under the direction of its founder Abdourahmane Sylla. ARQ International handles:

• general coordination
• protection of the ARQ brand
• international standards
• coordination of the national representations
• organisation of the international final
• international communication
• management of partners and sponsors
• supervision of candidates and official participants

To be eligible for ARQ, a candidate must:

• be a national of an African country officially taking part in the programme
• be able to present an official document establishing her identity and nationality
• meet the age conditions set by the organisation for the edition concerned
• be available for the compulsory activities
• be able to represent her country with dignity and professionalism
• accept the official regulations
• comply with the ARQ code of conduct
• provide accurate and verifiable information
• follow the national selection procedures
• be available for the international activities if selected

The minimum and maximum age for the 2027 edition will be set out in the official application conditions. A candidate may only represent a country whose nationality she holds, or for which she meets the specific conditions set by ARQ. Any false declaration about nationality may lead to disqualification.

Applications are made through the official channel communicated by ARQ. The candidate provides the requested information and documents, which may include:

• full name
• date of birth
• nationality
• country represented
• identity document or passport
• photograph
• contact details
• personal or professional background
• level of education
• activities or skills
• social or community project where required
• any other information requested by the organisation

All information must be accurate. Submitting an application does not mean being selected. The possible statuses are: application received, under review, shortlisted, approved, official candidate. Only the ARQ organisation can officially confirm a candidate.

Where application fees apply, their amount is officially published by ARQ. Paying a fee:

• does not guarantee selection
• does not guarantee qualification
• does not guarantee any title
• does not guarantee access to the international final

Refund conditions, where they exist, are set out in the applicable financial terms.

Each participating country may run a national selection under the rules approved by ARQ. It may include:

• registration
• eligibility check
• pre-selection
• interview
• personal presentation
• general knowledge
• knowledge of the country
• communication
• leadership
• talent
• social project
• stage presentation

The exact terms may vary from one country to another, provided the international ARQ standards are met.

The national competition designates the country's representative. National organisers must respect:

• the ARQ visual identity
• the brand rules
• the eligibility criteria
• the selection procedures
• the scoring rules
• the transparency obligations
• the standards of conduct

The national winner becomes the official international representative only after validation by ARQ International.

Officially qualified candidates may take part in an international programme including:

• public speaking training
• leadership
• African culture
• protocol
• media communication
• interview preparation
• entrepreneurship
• tourism
• personal development
• stage preparation
• photo and video sessions
• cultural activities
• social activities

Taking part in the compulsory activities is one of the candidate's official commitments.

The international ARQ competition may include:

• opening ceremony
• presentation of the candidates
• cultural presentation
• runway
• talent
• assessment of intelligence and knowledge
• public speaking
• jury interview
• presentation of the social project
• tourism and cultural activities
• any other officially announced round

The final programme of the 2027 final will be communicated by the organisation before the event.

Candidates may be assessed on ten official dimensions, each weighted at an indicative 10 %, for a total of 100 %:

• Beauty & Elegance
• Intelligence & General Knowledge
• Public Speaking
• African Culture
• Leadership
• Talent
• Social Impact
• Tourism
• Entrepreneurship
• Media Presence

Final weightings and the method of calculation may be set out in the official jury handbook. Results are established under the internal procedures approved by ARQ.

The jury is appointed and approved by the ARQ organisation. Its members must:

• act impartially
• respect confidentiality
• avoid conflicts of interest
• assess candidates against the official criteria
• not favour a candidate for personal reasons
• respect the dignity of every participant

Any member with a real or potential conflict of interest must declare it to the organisation. The final composition of the jury will be announced officially by ARQ.

All participants must behave respectfully and professionally. The following are prohibited:

• insults
• threats
• harassment
• discrimination
• violence
• intimidation
• defamation
• conduct damaging the image of ARQ
• falsification of documents
• bribery or attempting to influence a jury member
• improper disclosure of confidential information
• conduct endangering another participant or a member of the organisation

Participants must respect the laws of the host country and the rules of the places visited.

A candidate may be disqualified in case of:

• false identity
• forged document
• false declaration
• failure to meet the eligibility conditions
• fraud
• cheating
• attempted bribery
• manipulation of the selection process
• violent or seriously inappropriate behaviour
• harassment
• serious breach of the code of conduct
• unjustified absence from a compulsory activity
• serious damage to the reputation or integrity of ARQ

Depending on the seriousness of the facts, a candidate may receive a warning, be suspended or be permanently disqualified.

A candidate wishing to contest a decision must use the official appeal procedure. The appeal must:

• be filed within the time limit set by ARQ
• clearly identify the decision contested
• set out the facts and the reasons
• provide the available supporting evidence

Appeals are addressed only to the official channels designated by ARQ. Decisions taken by the competent bodies are communicated under the official procedure.

By taking part in ARQ, the candidate acknowledges that photographs, videos and other audiovisual content may be produced within the official framework of the competition. Subject to the authorisations required by law, this content may be used for:

• ARQ communication
• promotion of the competition
• media
• official social networks
• the website
• archives
• institutional campaigns
• promotion of future editions

The detailed image rights terms will be set out in the application form and the applicable contractual documents.

The Africa Royal Queen brand, its logos, names, graphic elements, official content, concepts, documents and materials are protected under the applicable rights. Without written authorisation it is prohibited to:

• use the ARQ logo
• create a competition using the ARQ name
• reproduce the official documents
• alter the visual identity
• use ARQ content for unauthorised commercial purposes
• present oneself as an official ARQ representative without official appointment

National Directors hold only the rights set out in their official agreement or licence.

ARQ processes personal data in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations. The data collected may be used to:

• process applications
• verify identity
• communicate with participants
• organise the competition
• manage payments
• ensure security
• manage relations with partners
• communicate about official activities

Personal data is accessible only to authorised persons. Retention, access, correction and deletion will be set out in the ARQ privacy policy.

The official winner, Africa Royal Queen 2027, is to receive the rewards officially announced by ARQ. The planned programme includes:

• 50 000 USD
• official crown
• official sash
• vehicle
• land or property in the host country
• international representation opportunities
• ambassador mandate

ARQ may also award special prizes to the other candidates. The value, nature and handover terms of each reward will be set out in the applicable official documents.

ARQ may award:

• 1st Runner-Up
• 2nd Runner-Up
• Miss Tourism Africa
• Miss Culture Africa
• Miss Leadership Africa
• Miss Social Impact Africa
• Miss Entrepreneurship Africa
• Miss Talent Africa
• Miss Photogenic Africa
• Miss Congeniality Africa

The final list of titles will be published officially before the competition.

For the length of her mandate, the winner agrees:

• to represent ARQ professionally
• to respect the values of the organisation
• to take part in the official activities reasonably required
• to take part in promotion and representation actions
• to contribute to the social, cultural and tourism programmes of ARQ
• to honour the commitments set out in her mandate agreement

The detailed obligations will be defined in the winner's official contract.

ARQ reserves the right to amend or supplement these regulations where necessary for:

• organisational reasons
• safety reasons
• legal obligations
• changes to the programme
• partner requirements
• exceptional circumstances

Any significant amendment will be communicated through the official channels.

Submitting an application means the candidate acknowledges having read the applicable rules and agrees to comply with them. The form therefore includes:

• a box accepting the official regulations and the application conditions
• a box accepting the processing of personal data and the image rights terms

These regulations are the general framework of the 2027 edition. Additional documents may include:

• official candidates handbook
• jury handbook
• National Directors handbook
• financial terms
• privacy policy
• image rights policy
• detailed code of conduct
• national licence agreement
• partnership agreement
• sponsorship agreement
• winner's mandate contract

Where these regulations and a specific contractual document conflict, the legally applicable provisions of that agreement prevail within its scope.