When 11-year-old Elliette Smith was standing on the stage of the Junior Miss Galaxy Canada pageant, listening to the names of other contestants in her age category read aloud, she wasn’t sure what to think. Name after name in her age category, other titles and other awards, but not her name.
“I was so nervous. I was shaking,” she told Sudbury.com.
She was sure it meant defeat, but really, it meant they were saving the best for last: Smith finally heard her name announcing her as the new Junior Miss Galaxy Canada 2026.
Now, she is headed to Texas in August to compete for the title of Junior Miss Galaxy international.
And while her mother, Penny, got her involved with pageants, Smith said she has always loved the stage.
“I've been dancing for a long time, since I was two years old,” she said. “I found it’s a way to express myself without, like, speaking out loud.”
And while she loves to move to any style, she’s found a new love for musical theatre.
In fact, her favourite musical came up as part of the interview portion of the pageant, with questions asked of each competitor, ranging in difficulty based on their age.
It’s “Annie”, in case you were wondering.
Smith said the interview was the part she practiced the most, “ because that's most of your scores, 25 per cent,” she told Sudbury.com. “And I won best in interview.”
(Reporter’s note: she also won best interview from Sudbury.com!)
Smith said the interview portion of the pageant was specifically a chance for her to talk about her “platform,” which includes what she feels is important to her community and the ways she is helping, especially using her status as a pageant queen.
A student at L’École publique Jean-Éthier-Blais in Sudbury, Smith's platform is focused on volunteering.
She said her motto is “Kindness is free, sprinkle it everywhere.” Smith said she’s collected coats for the homeless and less-fortunate, as well as devoting time to walking dogs at PetSave, from whom she adopted her beloved dog, Skittles, and her cat, Bruschi (pronounced ‘brew-ski’), who is named after NFL linebacker, Tedy Bruschi.
Smith said that competing can be hard work — not just practicing interviews, but “a million hours” practicing her pageant walks — but it’s worth it for the fun and friends she’s made.
“Every time that I go to pageants, especially the Galaxy pageants, they're really fun, and I get to meet so many new people,” she said. “I really like meeting different people and I've made pageant friends along the way and it's really fun to see them.”
For Smith, being on stage is “a way to express myself, just like dance. I've always liked being on stage, presenting myself and showing my style and answering questions,” she said. “It lets me teach more people about myself.”
Her mom got her started, first with a local pageant, which is what Smith recommends to anyone interested in the life of a queen.
“I decided to try it, and I really like doing it, so I continued going to that same one,” she said. “And then I started going to different pageants in places like Toronto.”
And if you are interested, Smith said “just try it, if you don’t like it, then that’s okay.”
She said it’s best to start close to home, like she did, “because then you don't have to travel far, and if you don't like it, you can always go home.”
But even if you do get nervous and want to get home, Smith advises to wait just a little longer.
“I always say to try to get through the whole day, because I find that sometimes I didn't feel very comfortable doing pageants when I first started doing them, but then I got used to them over time and then it was really fun to do them.”
You can find more information about Canada Galaxy pageants here and if you’re interested, you can sponsor Smith on her journey to becoming Texas pageant royalty by clicking here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com.