About the Contest
About the Contest
Mr. Mayhem Contestant Information
Participants in the Mr. Mayhem contests compete not only to represent their home bar, club, city, state, region, or country, but also to embody the spirit and passions of the broader leather and/or bear communities. By joining the ranks of the Mayhems, you become part of a brotherhood—one built on a legacy of leadership, camaraderie, and community support. There is no secret formula to winning this contest: just show up, be yourself, and give it your all.
For 2025, the Mr. Mayhem contest is combining the two titles into one. As part of your application, you’ll have the opportunity to choose how you identify and which title you would like to win. Whether you feel more inclined to carry the Mr. Mayhem Leather title or the Mr. Mayhem Leather Bear title, the contest format will remain the same—with one winner to be crowned.
Winners of the Mr. Mayhem contest—whether representing leather or bear—may consume alcoholic beverages at events they attend; however, responsible consumption is expected. As a titleholder, you serve as a public representative and are expected to remain respectful and composed at all times.
To compete, you must complete the online application and include a headshot, which will assist our judging panel in identifying you. All contestants should plan to arrive by 3:00 PM on Friday for check-in. The contest will begin promptly at 4:00 PM with a mandatory contestant meeting.
The winner of the Mr. Mayhem contest is required to compete in one of the following contests of their choosing:
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International Mr. Leather (IML) – Chicago
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Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) – Washington, D.C.
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American Brotherhood Weekend – City to be announced
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World Bear – City to be announced
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North American Bear – City to be announced
How it is scored:
The Mr. Mayhem Contest is structured as follows. There are 5 categories which are assigned a point value. Below you will find details on each of the categories and what you can expect:
Meet the Meat – 15 Points
This category judges the contestant’s social interaction skills. Contestants are asked to wear what they would normally wear to a “Bar Night.”
On-Stage Question – 25 Points
Contestants should have the ability to speak well. The winner of the contests will be asked to represent Bears, Bikers and Mayhem at different events during their title year. Just as social interaction skills are very important, so is your ability to convey your message and that of BBM.
Personal Interview – 25 Points
Contestants are interviewed privately by the judges panel and scored based on their responses to the judge’s questions.
Physique – 15 Points
Themed as a Wet Jockstrap Contest, this category is a moment for contestant to really shine and show their level of comfort with their own body image. Confidence as a title holder is very important, and “Physique” really shows the contestant’s ability to be happy in their own skin. This category is not judged on the contestants body, but on their confidence.
Formal Leather Image – 20 Points
Since this contest is fundamentally leather, an understanding of how formal leathers should fit and look is important. With that said, we do understand that “high cow” is expensive, and we would NEVER want the lack of Leather formals to preclude a constants from running. As such the judges focus on their contestant’s ability to construct a formal image that best conveys their own personality.
Prizes
Mr. Mayhem Leather
Prize Package
$1000.00 Travel Fund
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A medallion
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Free VIP Run Package to Bears, Bikers and Mayhem the following Year
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Hotel Room at BBM the following Year
(Friday & Saturday) at the host hotel. -
Leather Sash, Vest & Back Patch by wolfstryker leather leather*
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Casual leather vest by Sir Rat from Austin, Texas
Mr. Mayhem Leather Bear
Prize Package
$1000.00 Travel Fund
-
A medallion
-
Free VIP Run Package to Bears, Bikers and Mayhem the following Year
-
Hotel Room at BBM the following Year
(Friday & Saturday) at the host hotel. -
Leather Sash, Vest & Back Patch by wolfstryker leather leather*
-
Casual leather vest by Sir Rat from Austin, Texas