From tenacious and thick to handbuild or curly , every type of mustache , beard , and goatee under the Sun ( and barber ’s pole ) seemed to be present at the 2017World Beard and Moustache Championships . The semiannual competition — hold in Austin , Texas in other September , according toLaughing Squid — bring together hairy rivals from around the Earth , who come before a panel of judges to see whose facial hair is the most coiffed and originative .
Participants vie across17 traditional categoriesin three main groups : moustache , fond beards , and full beards . honour are concede to individuals with the bestSalvador Dalí – inspired mustache ; the best " goatee freestyle , " or short beards styled into elaborate arrangements ; and the good natural full beard , among other looks .
Held in Leogang , Austria , the 2015 World Beard and Moustache Championships had just 317 contender , Bryan Nelson — who helped organize this year ’s event along with theAustin Facial Hair Club — tells Mental Floss . But the 2017 Championships attracted a staggering 738 participant from 33 countries .
Nelson believes that the Austin Facial Hair Club pulled off history ’s largest facial hair challenger ( the group is awaiting validation from Guinness World Records ) , and also says that the tournament was the first of its sort to admit craft - based category for women .
" We had Creative Moustache and Realistic Moustache , Creative Beard and Realistic Beard , " Nelson order . For the realistic categories , female player used either real or fake tress to create veritable - look facial tomentum ( which they attached to their faces ) , and for the originative categories , " they were all over the place and could be made from whatever , " Nelson explains . " Seashells , bacon , bones … it ’s such a creative issue . "
you could check out a smattering of 2017 ’s winners — who were charm in all their hairy glory by Las Vegas - based photographerGreg Anderson — below , or view even more screaming lookson his Instagram .
[ h / tLaughing Squid ]
