The World Beard and Moustache Championships, Explained

Somewhere right now, a man is applying a second coat of wax to a mustache that measures more than a foot from tip to tip, checking the symmetry in a hand mirror, and thinking about judging criteria. He is training. Competitive facial hair is real, it is international, and its premier event is the World Beard and Moustache Championships.

Here is what you need to know.

What It Is

The World Beard and Moustache Championships (often abbreviated WBMC) is an international competition in which participants are judged on the style, grooming, and overall presentation of their beards and mustaches. It grew out of regional competitions in Europe, with early events in Germany in the 1990s, and it has since been held in cities across Europe and the United States, typically every year or two depending on the host and organizing body.

Because the event has moved between host organizations over the years, and because the competitive facial-hair world includes several associations, specifics like dates and host cities change. The structure, however, has remained broadly consistent.

The Categories

This is where newcomers are usually surprised. The championships are not a single "best beard" contest. Entrants compete in a long list of categories, typically grouped into three families:

Moustache categories. Styles judged on the mustache alone, with the rest of the face clean-shaven. Common classes include the natural moustache (no styling aids), the English (long, narrow, pulled straight out to the sides), the Dali (thin and curved sharply upward), the imperial (bushy with upturned ends), the Hungarian (big and bushy, combed out to the sides), and the freestyle moustache, where nearly anything goes.

Partial beard categories. Styles that combine a mustache with some beard growth but leave part of the face shaved: the musketeer, the imperial partial beard, the sideburns-and-mustache look, the goatee, and partial beard freestyle.

Full beard categories. Everything from the natural full beard (judged by length and fullness, no styling) to the garibaldi, the verdi, and the full beard freestyle, which produces the sculptural, architecturally improbable creations that tend to go viral.

Exact category names and definitions vary from event to event, so competitors read the rules carefully. Entering the wrong class is the competitive-facial-hair equivalent of showing up to the wrong race.

How Judging Works

Panels of judges evaluate each entrant against the standard for the category. Broadly, they look at:

• Style accuracy. Does the mustache or beard match the definition of the class it was entered in?
• Grooming and condition. Is it clean, healthy-looking, and well maintained?
• Shape and symmetry. Especially important in styled mustache classes.
• Overall impression. Presentation, confidence, and in some events, costume and character.

Some competitions weigh presentation heavily. Others are stricter about the hair itself. Either way, the top entrants are serious craftspeople who spend months, sometimes years, preparing.

The Culture

For all the absurdity of the results, the community is famously warm. Competitors travel with clubs, cheer for rivals, and share wax recommendations freely. National and regional "beard and moustache clubs" exist across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia, and beyond, and many hold charity competitions throughout the year that serve as on-ramps to the bigger events.

It is, in other words, exactly the kind of thing Mr. Stach was built to celebrate: entirely unserious in subject, deadly serious in execution.

How to Get Started

If reading this has awakened something in you:

1. Find a local club or charity competition. Most regions have one, and they welcome first-timers.
2. Pick a category and grow toward it. Styled mustache classes like the English or the imperial typically require six months to a year of growth before the style is achievable.
3. Learn wax. Competitive mustache styling is built on firm-hold wax, a fine comb, and a great deal of patience. Our Stach Care section covers the basics.
4. Practice the presentation. Judges see a lot of facial hair. Posture and confidence matter.

The Mr. Stach Verdict

Competitive facial hair is the mustache world's Olympics, its Westminster Dog Show, and its county fair, all at once. We intend to cover it the way other outlets cover the playoffs. Start stretching your upper lip.