contests

14 Stories

'Joe Dirt' Wannabe Wins Farm Show's Mullet Contest
Contest Brings
Mullets Out in Force
Jan 13, 2026 11:08 AM CST

Contest Brings Mullets Out in Force

Drew Fleschut, 10, carried a Joe Dirt -style mop to win top prize at hair-centric Pennsylvania competition

(Newser) - A packed crowd celebrated the much-maligned but enduring mullet on Monday in a competition at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. The contest celebrating the short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back coiffure, once the province of Canadian hockey players and hair metal bands, attracted about 150 competitors and more than a thousand spectators for...

How Holding a Stein Became America's New Beer Sport

Everyday Americans train, compete, and set records in this unique beer-lifting contest

(Newser) - Amid the revelry of OktoberFest NYC in Central Park, a quieter but no less intense spectacle unfolds: the national finals of Masskrugstemmen, or competitive steinholding—the art of holding a 5-pound glass of beer at arm's length for as long as humanly possible. The contest, sponsored by Munich's...

Amid ... Everything Else, Fat Bear Week Soldiers On

Annual Alaskan contest kicks off next week, but first: a 'chubby cubby appetizer'

(Newser) - The brawny bruins on the Alaska Peninsula are ready to brawl it out to see which will win this year's fattest bear title in the wildly popular annual Fat Bear Week contest. The main event featuring adult bears starts next week, but first up Thursday is what the National...

Cheaters Even Show Up in Rock-Skipping Contests

At least per organizers of an event in remote Scotland, with accusations of doctored stones

(Newser) - A decades-old stone-skipping contest on a tiny Scottish island made waves this year—not for record throws, but for a cheating scandal. The rules of the Easdale island contest are simple: A competitor can use only naturally formed stones from Easdale itself, and nothing wider than 3 inches, verified...

Unique Contest Involves Bellowing Like a Stag

German competition goes back to centuries-old tradition of calling a male deer

(Newser) - German hunters tried to convince the jury at a national stag calling championship that they can imitate a bellowing red deer most realistically. The unique tradition goes back hundreds of years and was initially aimed at feigning a stag's rival during the rutting season so the deer comes out....

'Fingerhakeln': Germany Has a Lesser-Known Festival

Finger wrestling sounds like a surefire way to put your digit out of joint

(Newser) - Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, more than 150 Bavarian men came together to compete in Germany's unique national championship of "Fingerhakeln," or finger wrestling. The "finger wrestlers" met in a big beer tent in the small southern village of Bernbeuren, reports the...

Meet Paris' New King of the Baguette
Meet Paris'
New King of
the Baguette
Apr 26, 2024 12:08 PM CDT

Meet Paris' New King of the Baguette

Xavier Netry of Utopie bakery beat out more than 170 other bakers to claim victory

(Newser) - Paris has a new king of the crusty baguette. Baker Xavier Netry was chosen this week as the 31st winner of Paris' annual "Grand Prix de la Baguette" prize. His long loaf beat 172 others, per the AP . Competing baguettes were evaluated for taste, look, texture, airiness, and the...

Judge Orders Lindell to Pay Contest Winner $5M

MyPillow founder says he'll appeal

(Newser) - A federal judge on Wednesday affirmed a $5 million arbitration award against MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell in favor of a software engineer who challenged data that Lindell said proves China interfered in the 2020 US presidential election and tipped the outcome to Joe Biden. Lindell said he plans to...

Epic Mullet Contest Is Upon Us
Epic Mullet Contest Is Upon Us
Aug 18, 2022 5:05 PM CDT

Epic Mullet Contest Is Upon Us

Finalists from 16 states are competing for best 'business in the front, party in the back'

(Newser) - Summer will soon be coming to a close, but that doesn't mean the party's over quite yet—especially for everyone sporting a mullet, a haircut affectionately described as "business in the front, party in the back." That's because the USA Mullet Championships are currently underway,...

Betty White Gets Unusual Honor in Minnesota

'Betty Whiteout' snowplow has been named after her in 2nd annual naming contest

(Newser) - Betty White fans came through and donated to animal rights causes in her name after her death on New Year's Eve. Now, a new honor for the late comedian and actress, albeit a more unusual one. MPR News reports that Minnesota's Department of Transportation has held a snowplow-naming...

10 Nerdiest Contests Ever
 10 Nerdiest Contests Ever 
Oct 4, 2010 12:37 PM CDT

10 Nerdiest Contests Ever

If you can solve a Rubik's Cube in under 7 seconds, prepare for glory

(Newser) - You may not have realized it, but last weekend people got together in Europe to compete at "speedcubing." To the uninformed, that's the act of solving a Rubik's Cube—really fast. (The current record? 7.08 seconds.) Time lists nine more extremely geeky competitions:
  • Muggle Quidditch: Yes,
...

French Resort Seeks Sun Lotion Appliers

Get $1,160 a week to apply sunscreen to attractive strangers

(Newser) - If you're young, good-looking, and speak French, you might qualify for ultimate summer job: strolling the beaches of France with samples of sunscreen, offering to rub the product into the shoulders of attractive sunbathers. And then there's the pay: $1,160 a week. The gig, being offered by a French...

How to Rid Chatroulette of Penises

Entries pouring in from contestants

(Newser) - The Business Insider recently launched its "Solve Chatroulette's Penis Problem" contest with a deadline of Monday. Their favorite entries (submitted via Power Point presentation!) so far:
  • Facial recognition: No face? No connection, because he's probably showing penis.
  • Rogues Gallery: Take photos of offenders' faces and post them, with
...

Cowell: I Goofed With Boyle
 Cowell: I Goofed 
 With Boyle 
Jun 22, 2009 4:26 AM CDT

Cowell: I Goofed With Boyle

(Newser) - Simon Cowell admitted that he overestimated the strength of startling songbird Susan Boyle during her trials in Britain's Got Talent. The fragile overnight-superstar has been emotionally overwhelmed, canceling another concert last week. "She seemed fine with all the attention. I thought perhaps naively that she was in control,"...

14 Stories
Most Read on Newser