From an opening-night Best Costume win to an award-winning portrayal of Asantehemaa Yaa Akyaa, Ashanti’s GMB 2026 finalist has built her campaign on cultural expression and clear storytelling.
When Ampomaa brought Asantehemaa Yaa Akyaa’s story to the Ghana’s Most Beautiful stage, she put a woman’s leadership at the heart of her representation of Ashanti.
The presentation explored a queen mother’s political influence, her efforts to strengthen Asanteman and her resistance to British demands for control. It was a substantial story about responsibility, strategy and the determination to protect a people’s independence, and Ampomaa told it with conviction.
On “Heroes and Heroines of Our Land” night, it earned her Most Eloquent. It was a defining moment in a campaign that has carried her from an opening-night costume award to a place among the six GMB 2026 finalists.
An early mark through costume
Ampomaa’s first confirmed recognition came in the opening regional showcase on August 9, when she won Best Costume.
The opening challenge gave contestants a chance to introduce their regions and decide how they wanted to represent them. For Ampomaa, the award spotlighted the visual side of that work: what clothing can say about cultural identity before a contestant speaks a word.
Fashion stayed part of the competition at the August 16 runway showcase on Osu Oxford Street, where contestants moved between streetwear, Fugu wear and gowns. Ampomaa was among those competing for Best Street/Casual Wear, which went to An-Suaf of the Upper West Region. The round stretched a season that tested contestants through fashion.
Giving Yaa Akyaa a national audience
The September 13 Heroes and Heroines challenge asked contestants to celebrate notable figures from their regions and explain their contributions.
Ampomaa chose Asantehemaa Yaa Akyaa. Her presentation explored Yaa Akyaa’s role in rebuilding unity after the 1874 Sagrenti War and in resisting British influence over Asante.
The choice invited viewers to think about the political authority of a queen mother and the place of women in the kingdom’s history. It also demanded that Ampomaa explain a complex subject clearly enough for a television audience to follow.
She won the Most Eloquent award on the night. Alongside her earlier costume win, it showed a campaign noticed for both visual presentation and communication.
Promoting Ashanti on the tourism stage
On September 20, the competition turned to tourism under “Destination Ghana: Sell Your Region. Share Your Story. Grow Our Nation.”
Contestants had the chance o present their regions as destinations, drawing on attractions, cultural experiences, food, crafts and festivals, and to explain the opportunities tourism could create for local communities.
Ampomaa took part in that regional promotion challenge, one more chance to present Ashanti to a national audience.
The chance to add a third Ashanti crown
Ampomaa now carries Ashanti’s hopes into the October 18 grand finale at the National Theatre.
The region has won Ghana’s Most Beautiful twice: Akua took the crown in 2011, followed by Sarfoa in 2021. More recently, Sika finished as second runner-up in 2025, keeping Ashanti in the top three.
A win for Ampomaa would bring Ashanti its third crown and its first since 2021. That history gives her final appearance regional significance, but she must still make her own case on the night.
Her confirmed honours so far span costume and eloquence. Her portrayal of Yaa Akyaa gives the story its centre: a contestant using a national platform to show the strength of a woman in Asante history.
Beyond the crown
Ampomaa attended Nursing and Midwifery College, Yeji, and Christian Service University. If she wins, her project will focus on creating cervical cancer awareness.
It is a cause that grows naturally out of her health-care training, and one that could reach women across the country.With one final stage ahead, Ampomaa has the chance to turn that cultural storytelling into a defining moment of her own.