Worlds Best Beard

In October 2015 the sixth official world championship for beards was held at Leogang in Austria. 350 participants of 22 different nationalities competed in 18 different categories. What was earlier perhaps mostly a competition for elderly bearded worthies in old classic uniforms has in time developed into far more. The average age of the participants is falling, and the competition bears the clear marks of a growing younger generation with a desire to grow beards. 

 
 
 
Arne Bielefeldt, 50, from San Francisco, USA 

Arne Bielefeldt, 50, from San Francisco, USA 

 
 
Madison Rowley, 30, from Portland, Oregon, USA

Madison Rowley, 30, from Portland, Oregon, USA

 
 
Wolfgang Scheider, 59, from Stuttgart, Germany 

Wolfgang Scheider, 59, from Stuttgart, Germany 

Bernhard Greller, 57, from Bavaria, Germany 

Bernhard Greller, 57, from Bavaria, Germany 

 
Blaine Reeves, 30, from Loomis, USA 

Blaine Reeves, 30, from Loomis, USA 

 
Kim Løvenskjold Elm, 42, From Roskilde, Denmark 

Kim Løvenskjold Elm, 42, From Roskilde, Denmark 

 
Stu Giles, 45, from Auckland, New Zealand 

Stu Giles, 45, from Auckland, New Zealand 

 
 
M.J. Johnson, 40, from Minneapolis, USA 

M.J. Johnson, 40, from Minneapolis, USA 

 
Max Pólzl, 27, from Salzburg, Austria

Max Pólzl, 27, from Salzburg, Austria

Justin Kellermaier, 34, from Ohio, USA 

Justin Kellermaier, 34, from Ohio, USA 

Karl-Heinz Hille, 75, from Berlin, Germany

Karl-Heinz Hille, 75, from Berlin, Germany

 
 
Ivan Aleksandrov, 32, from Moscow, Russia 

Ivan Aleksandrov, 32, from Moscow, Russia