SM's Little Stars grand finals

MANILA, Philippines - On Aug. 22, 16 pairs of cute, talented and adorable kids will compete in the grand finals of the SM Little Star Pageant, which will take place at the Music Hall of the SM Mall of Asia.

The grand finals is a culmination of a month-long search wherein 5,000 kids aged four to seven all over the country registered to join the search. Sixteen pairs were chosen during the regional finals and the winning pairs will be chosen on the following criteria: 40 percent for talent; 30 percent, personality; and 30 percent, star quality.

Great prices and surprises await the SM Little Star winners, who will have a chance to win shopping money up to P200,000, birthday packages from Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center, scholarships from the SM Bowling Center and the Center for Pop Music, a day of unlimited skating at the SM Ice Skating Rink, as well as gift certificates from Toy Kingdom and Storyland.

Like last year’s Little Stars led by grand prize winner Queenie Charmay Sulit, they will get a chance to visit Xiamen, China, as part of a cultural exchange program between the SM malls in China and the Philippines. The five-day journey includes a tour of the famous Gu Liang Yu Island and attending the grand coronation night of the SM Little Stars China pageant.

Who will shine as the next SM Little Stars? Below are some of the finalists:

In the Metro Manila area, SM City Bicutan’s Lexus Libres and SM City Manila’s Akira Vane Sapia both want to become doctors someday, but in the meantime are honing their talents as a singer and dramatic actress, respectively.

In the Luzon area, Pampanga’s Kenet Africano dreams of being a great performer and Baguio’s Nichole Morgan wants to become a singer and supermodel. Sta. Rosa’s Aidan Ralph Macamos, on the other hand, wants to be a chef or policeman, while Naga’s Thara Kimberly Matong wants to be a nurse.

The contest also drew a lot of great looks and talent from the Vismin region. SM City Cebu’s Angelo Giles Cantara and Nicole Claire Sabaldan both love to sing and dance. SM City Bacolod’s Ronuel Salvaio wants to be an inventor, while Michaela Advincula, a gifted storyteller, dreams of becoming an actress. SM City Iloilo’s Khristiane Alistair Dumpit looks forward to being a policeman, while Destiny Autumn Soult also has acting in her mind.

SM City Davao’s Antonio Paulino is a sports-minded kid who one day will fly high as a pilot, while Anya Maxine Cruz’s multi-faceted talents — singing, dancing, modeling, and acting — don’t stop her from dreaming about becoming a doctor someday. SM City Cagayan de Oro’s Johnny Regana and Sarah Aphrodite Ratunil, both love to read, dance and sing.

SM Little Stars 2010 is one of the many exciting events of the SM Supermalls.