SINGAPORE - After a controversial start, the Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant finalists are ready to face the public.

On Sunday (Aug 6), the 19 finalists will be making a comeback by contributing to a good cause - they will be washing cars to raise funds for the Singapore Red Cross.

They will also be riding on Harley Davidson bikes along the streets of Orchard Road and Temasek Boulevard.

Last month, 16 of the finalists drew flak from netizens when an unofficial photo of them at a Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant event was posted online, including comments that said they were "ugly" and "repulsive".

The photo was taken by a member of the public when the pageant was doing a talent and fashion showcase at OneKM mall.

Since the incident, the contestants have undergone a "journey of transformation" and are now "ready and confident to showcase their own definition of beauty to the world", said pageant organiser ERM Singapore Marketing in a statement on Friday (Aug 4).

"These attentions and speculations caused hurt to the finalists psychologically," said the organiser.

"But positively, this brought the finalists closer, and gave them a new vision and determination to achieving more, and a new understanding towards the importance of possessing the humanitarian spirit."

The car wash will be held at the Red Cross House at 15 Penang Lane, from 11am to 6pm.

Saloon cars and bikes can get a wash at $20, while washes for sports utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles are priced at $30. Proceeds will go to the Singapore Red Cross.

This is the 29th year that the Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant has been organised. The pageant is open to Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 17 to 26 years old.

The pageant will yield four winners under different titles, who will then go on to represent Singapore internationally under each title. The titles are: Miss Singapore Tourism Queen, Miss Singapore Chinatown, Miss Singapore Global Beauty Queen and Miss Grand Singapore.