On Saturday, April 19th, over 127 bearded men came together to show off their amazing creations at the International German Beard Championships, held in the Southeast State of Bavaria.

Contestants entered to compete in one of seventeen categories, ranging from full beards to simple moustaches. The favorite category was freestyle, because it allowed contestants to be as creative as they wanted to be.

The competition, judged by seven experienced hairdressers has strict rules. Hair dyes, hair extensions and hair clips are banned. Contestants entering the styled beards competition are allowed to put hair gels and hairsprays. Those that enter in the natural beard contest are not even allowed that.

Despite the fact that the prize for this event is just a trophy, contestants spend a lot of time grooming for the event, sometimes as much as four to five hours. They also dress up in clothes that are appropriate for the look they are sporting. While people from all over the world participated this year, all except one of the prizes in each category went to Germany.

To view more beard competition contestants check out : http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/Gallery/gallery.html

Sources: sharedord.in,usbeard.blogspot.com