A HAMPSHIRE woman could become the face of an international bridal magazine if she wins the final of a beauty pageant.

Digital design student Julie Miah could win a modelling contract worth £100,000 when she impresses the judges at the Miss Asiana 2014 gala tonight.

The 23-yearold is one of 15 women hoping to impress a panel of six judges at a glamorous hotel in London.

Julie, who lives with her family in Park Gate, was selected at an audition of 65 girls from UK, the USA and Europe organised by the Asian bridal magazine.

As well as an audience of hundreds in the room and streaming live on the internet, Julie will be standing in front of a panel of six judges on Saturday night which includes Southamptonborn finalist of Britain and Ireland’ s Next Top Model, Anita Kaushik.

Brimming with confidence now, Julie was initially nervous about how far she would get in the competition.

She said: “When I first saw the competition advertised I thought I would give it a shot. The audition was quite nerve-racking.

We had to be interviewed and then we had to go and see the judges.

“When the judges said my name they pronounced it wrong, so I was like ‘huh?’ I was really excited and surprised when I realised it was me.”

If successful, Julie could be on the cover of the next edition of Asiana.

She will also work with anti-abuse charity Angeli Foundation, which campaigns on behalf of women in the slums in India.

Julie said: “In some countries of the world women are poorly treated.

It frustrates me just thinking about it. These women suffer so much, it is unbelievable.

“It is hard to put yourself in their shoes, you just feel so helpless.

“It would be nice to stand up against that and help other women.”

The pageant also aims to highlight that “dark is beautiful” following a recent social media backlash against Miss America winner Nina Duvuluri for being too dark-skinned to be a title holder.

Rajesh Nair, corporate director of Asiana TV, said: “As one of the UK’s leading Asian mass media companies we felt responsible to create mainstream opportunities for young A s i a n women aspiring to be part of the modelling world.

“Through this venture, we also aim to create a connection between global beauty and fashion brands seeking high calibre and talented South Asian models.”