Greater Sudbury’s Madison Kvaltin has seen some pageant success in recent years.
The 24-year-old said as a teen, she had competed in the local Miss North Ontario Pageant, but had put pageantry behind her when she entered her post-secondary studies.
After graduating from Queen’s University with a bachelor’s degree in business and sociology in 2020, Kvaltin started a couple of business ventures, an athleticwear company called Skilla Athletics and a marketing business called Mad Media Marketing.
She also decided to take a stab at the pageantry world once again.
In 2022, she competed at Miss Universe Canada, and as the first runner-up, was given the title of Miss International Canada, giving her the opportunity to compete in the Miss International Pageant in Japan, placing in the top eight.
She said this is the highest Canada has placed at Miss International since 1961, as well as the highest the country has placed in any of the top four pageants since 2009, adding she is one of only five Canadians to make the finals of Miss International.
Kvaltin said Miss International is an “incredible pageant. It's all about who you are on the inside. It's about how you're making an impact in your community.”
She said she first became involved with pageantry to promote her message of body positivity, to show young women (and men) that they are not alone in the fight to love, respect and embrace themselves, especially their relationship with their body.
“As a young girl, I really really struggled with an eating disorder and mental-health related issues,” Kvaltin said.
She said she now has a foundation called the Body Love Club, in which she offers body confidence workshops and free self-defence classes.
The Miss International pageant, Kvaltin explains, has aligned its message with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Kvaltin said she tweaked her body positivity focus to look at the issue of food insecurity.
“Often when we're so worried about our bodies, we don't even recognize that a lot of people can't even think about what they're eating, because they're so food insecure,” she said.
While Kvaltin has already shone on the international pageant scene, she said she’s taking one more kick at the can this year before likely giving up on pageantry and focusing on her career goals.
She will be taking part in the Miss Universe Canada pageant in August of this year.
In advance of the pageant, Kvaltin said she will be holding a Porketta Bingo fundraiser June 24 in support of the Miss Universe Canada’s charity of choice, SOS Children’s Villages.
The event takes place from 7-10 p.m. that evening at Overtime Sports Bar and Grill (941 Notre Dame Ave.)
The event will be $25 to play four rounds of five games, with all the proceeds going to the charity. Tickets can be purchased at Overtime Sports Bar and Grill Sudbury or online through EventBrite.
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s associate content editor. She also covers education and the arts scene.
