Sixteen-year-old Earnest Nelson of Vigilance, East Coast Demerara has won this year’s Junior calypso crown.

A release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said Nelson, who is a newcomer on the scene was crowned last Saturday after the competition which was held at the St Ignatius Sports Club ground in Lethem.

GINA said 12 persons competed for the crown and Nelson in her song, “Stop the Carnage”, emphasized the need for road users to apply caution and stop road carnage.

The release said too that the 16-year-old was a crowd favourite and was awarded 253 points, just one point higher than her closest competitor Mark Batson, last year’s monarch, who entered the competition with “Good Wood”, which GINA said was a “witty and adult piece”. Kenroy Fraser known as the ‘Mighty Believer’ came in third with his rendition, “A Man in a Woman’s suit”.

Other contestants were Rawle Batson, Denesha Glasgow, Keiton Nelson, Natoya Benjamin, Lennox Hodge, Kleon Lindey, Abigail James, Talisha Adams, Shavaun Babb and Lester Moore.

GINA said spectators and organizers of the event were impressed with the junior performers who they said demonstrated potential.