Are you proud of your beard or mustache? Since you first grew it off and shown it to every friend or relative you have, imagine how much pride it will give you to show it off to the public. Not just when you’re wandering around town or city, but in a real competition? Yes – you can enter your handsome beard and hot mustache in a competition! The awards and prizes are great, but it’s the bragging rights that you can look forward to.
There are many beard and mustache competitions across the USA and across the world. Whatever the size of the gathering is and wherever it is held, they all celebrate the longest, the craziest, and the most beautiful beards. There are, of course, fun times, comparing beard products and styles, and making new friends. Most of these contests also have the aim of raising funds for a good cause.
Here are some of the most well-known beard and mustache contests in the world:
1. World Beard and Mustache Championship – International
This is the world’s premier competition where the winner walks away with the title of having the World’s Best Beard, along with a plaque to prove it all to anyone who knows them, and a bragging right to boats of the honor. This competition is hosted by the World Beard and Mustache Association (WBMA). This contest is a biennial competition in which the best of the best competes for the title. It is the largest and most prestigious competition in which the best of the best compete. This beard competition only allows the professionals, so there’s no room for amateurs.
This competition is located in a different country every two years and offers 16 categories of beards and mustaches, with both specific and freestyle facial hairstyles. A portion of the proceeds from the event is donated to local charities. This competition includes men with facial hair from the USA, Europe, and Australia.
2. National Moustache and Beard Championships – USA
Once a year, hundreds of men (plus a few women) compete for the title of having the Best Beard in the USA from the National Moustache and Beard Championships. The Beard Team USA, which is a national beard club representing the country globally, hosts this event in a different city venue every year. This annual competition attracts thousands of audiences. To enter this competition, no membership in a beard club is required.
This contest has 18 categories of beard and mustache styles, including the best English mustache, best Fu Manchu mustache, best full beard, best Dali mustache, and more. The grand prize allows the winner to win an all-expense-paid trip to next year’s competition. A percentage of the ticket sales are donated to a local charity at the venue city.
3. The Great American Beard and Moustache Championships – USA
The Great American Beard and Moustache Championships is a biennial event held in even-numbered years and attracts hundreds of competitors, with more visiting each year. This is an event held for charity organized by the North American Competitive Beard and Moustache Alliance (NACBMA), a group of beard clubs that advocates the fashionableness of facial hair, promote facial hair competitions, and schedules and coordinates different beard-related events. It has over 21 contest categories, including contests of mustaches alone.
Everyone with impressive facial hair growth can find a category for themselves and compete. Since charity is the main focus of the event, no money is awarded to the winners, but pride and esteem associated with winning the title.
4. Braw Beard and Moustache Championships – Scotland
The first beard and mustache contest in Scotland, the Braw Beard and Moustache Championships, is the most prominent facial hair competition in this small country. Still, it’s open to everyone from anywhere in the world. The tickets sell out at every previous event, and competitors from Wales, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and the USA fly there to compete and be part of the game. Plus, this contest takes place at a brewery, so it’s got to be good.
The contest categories include Best Freestyle, Best Moustache, Best Partial Beards, Best Full Beard, and even Best Ginger Beard – because it’s Scotland’s default hair color. There’s also a Best Fake Beard category wherein you can be as creative as you want.
5. BEARDsterdam – Netherlands
BEARDsterdam is Europe’s largest beard gathering in Europe, and if you’re willing to travel, this is the beard and mustache contest worth going to. It’s an open competition in many countries across Europe and around the World. Over 16 countries competed in the 2019 event, and each competitor is competing for the Best European Beard award.
This event is organized by the Dutch chapter of the Bearded Villains, a brotherhood of elite bearded men all over the world. This raises a substantial amount of funding and awareness for the KiKa Foundation, a childhood cancer research foundation.
6. The British Beard and Moustache Championships – UK
The British Beard and Moustache Championships is an overwhelming success on its inaugural event in 2012. Contestants and spectators arrived in hundreds. It’s an attractive contest held in various locations around the United Kingdom, which gathers die-hard pogonophiles and local audiences. Initially, the event was organized by the British Beard Club and The Handlebar Club, but it’s being hosted by a different beard and mustache clubs every biennial.
The contest categories are incredibly creative, and it includes the Fake Beards category, which is popular for beardless contestants who wants to join the fun like ladies and children. The event organizers choose the charity they wish to sponsor, and it raises thousands of pounds every time.
7. International South German Beard Championship – Germany
The International South German Beard Championship is a popular competition open to both German contestants and those from abroad. A beard club named Belle Mustache organizes this event, and anyone who sports a beard is encouraged to enter, regardless of whether or not they are a member of a beard club. It’s run under the Association of German Bearded Club rules.
There are 18 different contest categories, meaning there is something for everyone. The Belle Mustache also organizes amateur beard championships throughout the country to help discover new talent.
8. Epic Beard Competition – USA
Located in WA, the Spokane Beard and Mustache Organization hosts the annual Epic Beard Competition that is part competition and part fundraiser. This event is great fun for a great cause. It got its sponsorship from the Honest Amish Health and Beauty to raise money to their chosen cause. This competition has 12 categories in which anyone can enter. The types include the Best Partial Beard, Best Full Beard, Best Business Beard, Most Creative Beard, and more. They have an upper limit of 40 entries per class. As compared to other events on this list, this competition is relatively small, and some categories only attract up to three people, so it’s worth entering if you’re looking for a great start.
The competitors here pay an entrance fee of $20, and because it’s a charity event, there are no actual prices. Winning here is enough to put a smile on your face, knowing that you sported your amazing facial hair while doing a good deed by donating your cash in deserving pockets.