The Hank Wolek 70th Beard & Mustache Contest Rules & Regulations
April 8th 2023
4 contests! Beard Contest, Mustache Contest, Mustache growing Contest, & Whiskerina Contest! .... with over 20 sub-categories to enter. Win your sub-category and qualify for the 2023 Hank Wolek Memorial Cup.
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Event Schedule:
Registration: 12:00 pm-2:00 pm
Competition: 2:00 pm-5:00 pm
Banquet: 5:00 pm-7:00 pm (buffet dinner served 6:00-7:00 pm)
Awards Show: 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Party: 8:00 pm-10:00 pm
Location: Syracuse Polish Home Banquet Hall, 915 Park Ave, Syracuse, NY 13204
CONTEST RULES & REGULATIONS
Beard & Mustache Contest Information presented by Honest Amish
Modern-day beard and mustache competition held by NABMCA standards for facial hair competitions and judged by a multi-person panel using a 10-point system. All contestants will be required to attend a mandatory pre-judging registration at the Syracuse Polish Home prior to the event. Pre-judging is open from 12:00 pm-6:00 pm and all contestants must be present to win at 7:00 pm. Winners will be announced live on stage during the trophy ceremony beginning at 7:00 pm. Contestants who would also like to join the banquet dinner must pre-register online before April 5th and select to add the buffet ticket to their checkout cart. Day of the walk-up entrants will be accepted from 12:00 pm-5:00 pm. All contestants who do not elect to buy the dinner will be allowed access to the hall early and can use the private bar and lounge behind the stage.
Full Beard Category Rules & Regulations
A full beard consists of hair on the upper and lower lip, the chin, the cheeks, and the sideburns, without any natural or shaven gap. Lengths are measured from the bottom of the lower lip.
Competitors will be organized into four categories for freestyle, natural, groomed, and styled beards with mustaches.
The definition of a natural full beard is facial hair with no grooming aids or styling products that appears naturally how it grows on the face.
The definition of a groomed beard is facial hair that is styled with hair styling products such as beard oil, beard balm, or beard butter. Styling aides such as waxes, gels, or irons are forbidden.
The styled beard and mustache category is defined as facial hair that is styled with hair gels, waxes, or using irons.
The natural, groomed, and styled categories will be divided into groups determined by length.
- under 2" beard
- under 6" beard
- under 12" beard
- over 12" beards
Partial Beard Category Rules & Regulations
A partial beard is any facial hair that is neither a full beard nor a moustache.
Partial beards will be judged in three categories; goatee, chopes aka whiskers, and whaler beards.
Whaler Beards: Traditional Alaskan seafarer’s beard. Bushy hair grown on cheeks, chin, and lower lip. No hair grown on the upper lip. No styling aids allowed.
Goatee: Goatee as it grows naturally, the more natural the better. A moustache is not required. Goatee and moustache can be accentuated but without styling aids. No curled moustaches. There must be a clean-shaven section at least 1.5" (4 cm, the width of a razor blade) between the onset of the head hair and the beard. No styling aids are allowed.
Chops or Whiskers: Chops and or Hulihee Whiskers must be a true sideburn. No natural or shaven gap by the ear. Chin is shaven at least 1.5" (4 cm, the width of a razor blade) and hair is optional on the upper lip. The moustache may or may not be connected, also known as the “friendly or unfriendly” chops. Small and bushy with the tips curving upward. Only hairs on the upper lip may be grown out. Styling aids allowed.
Mustache Category Rules & Regulations
A moustache is composed of facial hair above the upper lip. Moustache hairs can start growing from up to a maximum of 5/8" (1.5 cm) beyond the end of the upper lip.
Styled Mustaches aka the Handle Bar are small or large and bushy with the tips curving upward. Only hairs on the upper lip may be grown out. Styling aids allowed.
Groomed mustaches aka English style, Slender, the hairs are combed from the middle of upper lip to the sides. The tips can be raised slightly. Only hairs growing on the upper lip may be grown out. May also be curled up or down. Styling aids allowed.
Natural Mustaches, The moustache as it naturally grows, the more natural the better. No closed curls. Only those hairs growing from within 5/8" (1.5 cm) past the end of the upper lip may be grown out. The moustache may be shaped but without aids.
No styling aids allowed
Hank Wolek Memorial 70th Anniversary Mustache Growing Contest
In 1953 Hank Wolek founded the Hank Wolek Mustache Club. Members paid dues for 8 weeks and grew their best mustaches throughout lent and then shaved for Easter Sunday. The members were awarded with a clam bake the following Saturday. The 70th anniversary of the mustache club will open on February 11th, 2023. All members who participate will be provided a seat at the banquet dinner on April 8th, 2023 at the Syracuse Polish Home.
Mustache Growing Contest Rules and Regulations:
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Members must start clean shaven and send a picture of themselves upon entry to the contest to the contest administrator at beardchampionship@gmail.com.
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Online competitors are welcome for this category but will not receive a free buffet unless they can attend the event in person.
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Members must pay the 2023 equivalent to 50 cents a week in 1953 for 8 weeks upfront to enter, which is $40.00.
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The day of the event on April 8th 2023 members will be required to be photographed by the score keeper.
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Winners will be announced after the dinner banquet during the trophy ceremony on stage at the Syracuse Polish Home.
Whiskerina Categories
presented by: mustacheparlor.com
These categories are open to anyone who wants to participate. They are artificial and imaginative creations meant to resemble facial hair of any category, either literally or abstractly.
Whiskerina Mustache Categories:
Realistic Mustache: realistic facial hair pieces worn and made out of natural or synthetic fibers that could easily be confused with a real mustache and beard.
Build-a-Mustache: create your own mustache out of any material. Mustache must be worn and attached to the upper lip.
Whiskerina Beard Categories:
Realistic Beard: realistic facial hair pieces worn and made out of natural or synthetic fibers that could easily be confused with a real mustache and beard.
Build-a-Beard: create your own mustache out of any material. The Beard must be attached to the face.
Realistic Whiskerina Mustache:
Create the most realistic looking moustache you can, inspired by any moustache style. The more lifelike and convincing, the better. The facial hair style should follow the traditional and realistic structure of the moustache style being recreated and use some type of real or synthetic hair fiber.
Realistic Whiskerina Full Beard:
Create the most realistic-looking beard you can, inspired by any style of a partial or full beard. The more lifelike and convincing, the better. The facial hair style should follow the traditional and realistic structure of the beard style being recreated and use some type of real or synthetic hair fiber.
Create-a-Mustache:
This artistic category is wide-open! Create the most imaginative and fantastic design you can, inspired by any style of moustache. Creativity in material choice is encouraged.
Create-a-Beard:
This artistic category is wide-open! Create the most imaginative and fantastic design you can, inspired by any style of partial or full beard. Creativity in material choice is encouraged.