The World Beard and Moustache Championships is a biennial competition in which men with elaborate beards and moustaches compete with each other in 17 different official categories ranging from natural goatee and sideburns freestyle, Hungarian and Fu Manchu moustaches to Garibaldi and Imperial style beards. The event which began in 1990 has been running regularly since 1995. This year it was held in Trondheim in Norway on May 15.
Pia Weis prepares her husband Hans-Peter for the freestyle full beard event
Over one hundred and fifty contestants from 15 countries descended on the Prinsen Hotell in Trondheim, Norway this weekend to get down to the hairy business of who exactly has the world's best facial furniture. The coveted prize was taken by a German hairdresser Elmar Weisser, 47, with his elaborate facial hair sculpture of a moose. It is the third time Mr Weisser has emerged as champion.
Gerhard Knapp prepares for the championships
Overall winner of the championships, Elmar Weisser, Germany, took first prize in the freestyle full beard category
Karl-Heinze Hille, Germany, poses after winning the imperial partial beards category
Bill Mitchell, US, winner of the sideburns category
Germany's Wolfgang Schneider sports his winning natural moustache
Dusan Lalos, Germany, winner of the natural partial beard category
Jurgen Draheim, Germany, poses after emerging victorious in the Musketeer category
Rooty Lundvall, US, winner of the natural full beard category
Dieter Besuch, Germany, after his triumph in the freestyle partial beard category
Burke Kenny, US, winner of the natural full beard with styled moustache category
Germany's Lutz Giese after scooping first place in the Chinese partial beard category
Story: BBC. Photograph: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images
