Exclusive | Brooklyn Grandmas take center stage at the 25th annual 'Your Highness, Grandmother' pageant

Brooklyn’s “Your Highness, Grandmother” pageant returned for its 25th annual edition on Sunday at Tatiana Restaurant on Brighton Beach, drawing about 100 guests. The event featured 12 grandmothers from across NYC, representing a range of backgrounds and with a combined 33 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Contestants, aged 47 to 90, performed songs, dances and comedy skits for a jury of grandfathers. The ticketed fundraiser is the “crown jewel” of Raisa Chernina’s nonprofit Be Proud, supporting NYC’s Russian-speaking community. Nelli Ivankova, 75, won “Your Highness, Grandmother,” while Busya Soltsov, 89, was named “Your Highness, Queen Grandmother.”