Think you’ve seen it all when it comes to competitions? From the ancient Olympics to your weekly board game night, humans have always loved a good challenge. But as society keeps evolving, so do our contests. Get ready to dive into a world of wonderfully weird and wacky competitions that prove there’s a contest for just about anything!
10. Mobile Phone Throwing
Move over, javelin and discus! The Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships are here to offer a more modern way to test your throwing arm. This unique sport started in Savonlinna, Finland, back in 2000. A translation company, Fennolingua, came up with the idea. They wanted people to have a fun way to let out their tech frustrations while also promoting recycling. Don’t worry, no precious personal phones meet their doom; sponsors provide recycled phones for the hurling.
What began in Finland quickly spread, becoming an international sport. Now, people of all ages compete in national events across Europe and beyond. The championships have two main categories. There’s the ‘Original/Traditional’ toss, where distance is key. Then there’s ‘Freestyle,’ judged on creativity and artistic flair. Imagine a circus performer juggling and doing acrobatics while throwing a phone – that actually happened and won gold in 2007! The current world record is an astounding 110 meters (that’s 360 feet), set in Belgium in 2021.
9. Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest
This might sound like a craft activity for a bridal shower, but the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest is a serious annual event in New York City. Contestants get creative using only toilet paper, tape, glue, and a needle and thread to design a wedding gown and headpiece. You might picture something resembling a mummy costume, but the results are often breathtaking, designer-quality dresses.
From photo entries, twelve finalists are chosen. Their delicate creations are then carefully shipped to New York for a runway show. The winner walks away with a $10,000 prize! The designs showcase incredible ingenuity, featuring toilet-papier-mâché bodices, crocheted toilet paper, and even flowers and beads molded with glue. These stunning gowns make it hard to believe they started as humble rolls of toilet paper.
8. Hobby Horsing
Hobby horsing has become a popular activity, especially among girls in Finland, and it’s now trotting its way into other countries. So, what exactly happens at the annual Finnish Hobby Horse Championships? Picture traditional equestrian events, but instead of real horses, competitors use stick-handled hobby horses. These aren’t just simple toys; today’s hobby horses are often beautifully crafted with soft material heads.
Most enthusiasts are pre-teen and early-teen girls who treat hobby horsing as a genuine sport, not just a cute pastime. They navigate courses, leap over hurdles, and perform gaits similar to cantering. In the dressage category, it’s all about elegant prancing movements to music, all while keeping the upper body perfectly still. There’s a strong sense of community, with students, coaches, judges, and local competitions. The movement grew quietly among Finnish teenagers, eventually gaining wider attention through a 2017 documentary called The Hobby Horse Revolution.
7. High Heel Drag Queen Race
It’s impressive enough seeing drag queens command a stage in towering heels, but imagine them sprinting three blocks in them! That’s precisely what happens at the annual 17th Street High Heel Race in Washington D.C. This vibrant event celebrates LGBTQI diversity and freedom. Every year, just before Halloween, participants line up in fabulous drag costumes and daring high heels, cheered on by massive crowds. While a few serious runners train in heels for the race, most are there for the joyous clomp down the street.
What started as a spontaneous bit of fun among friends in the 1980s has grown into an event organized by the Mayor’s Office in Washington D.C. It has also inspired similar high heel races for charity in other parts of the world. One can only hope there are plenty of first-aiders on hand for any tumbles and twisted ankles!
6. Ugliest Dog Contest
Luckily, the canine competitors in this contest are blissfully unaware of its title and can wag their tails with pride. The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest has been a beloved annual event at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, since the 1970s. Its heartwarming mission is to promote rescue, love, and adoption for all dogs, regardless of their appearance.
The contest was the brainchild of Petaluma local Ross Smith. He initially envisioned it as a small-town event for kids, never dreaming it would gain global media attention for its uniquely charming winners. Recent champions include Zsa Zsa, an English Bulldog with a delightfully gnarly set of teeth and a tongue that nearly touched the ground, and Scamp the Tramp, a dreadlocked, bug-eyed charmer whose fur defied all grooming products. These much-loved dogs went from being homeless to enjoying trips to New York for media appearances, proving every dog has its day.
5. Air Guitar Playing
You’d think a guitar-playing contest would require an actual guitar, right? Not for the flamboyant Air Guitar Championships! “Airheads,” as these performers are affectionately called, take to stages worldwide, pretending to shred on invisible guitars in front of enthusiastic crowds. Audiences revel in the spectacle of rock and heavy metal music, flashy costumes, and passionately performed riffs and stage moves.
The ultimate event for air guitarists is the Air Guitar World Championships, held each August in Oulu, Finland (yes, Finland again!). Winners of national competitions gather here to showcase their performance skills and attitude. There’s also a “Dark Horses Qualifying Round,” a wildcard event for those still hoping to compete. The championship involves two rounds: a 60-second performance to a chosen song and another 60-second performance to a surprise song. Props are allowed (as long as they aren’t instruments), and “air roadies” can assist, but no backup bands. Ironically, the winner takes home a real, custom-made, hand-carved guitar. The event promotes world peace with the slogan “Make Air Not War.”
4. Bed Racing
It turns out beds aren’t just for sleeping; they’re also for racing through the countryside! Every June, the town of Knaresborough in Yorkshire, UK, hosts the Great Knaresborough Bed Race. The day kicks off with a parade of decorated beds and costumed runners, each year following a different theme. After the parade, all decorations are stripped off, and it’s time for the real race to begin.
Ninety teams, each with six runners, push, pull, and guide a passenger on a specially designed bed on wheels. They tackle grassy inclines and village streets, with the passenger acting like a coxswain, shouting directions and encouragement. The challenging course winds through scenic Knaresborough before the grand finale: the entire team must swim their bed across the chilly River Nidd to reach the finish line. These aren’t just any beds; teams engineer them to specific measurements. Since 1966, this lively event has followed the same 2.4-mile course, raising money for charity and bringing the community together, rain or shine.
3. Chess Boxing
Who ever imagined chess and boxing could go together? Chess Boxing is the ultimate blend of brains and brawn. Competitors alternate between three-minute rounds of chess and three-minute rounds of boxing. After each chess round, the noise-canceling headphones come off, the gloves go on, and the chessboard is quickly wheeled out of the ring. Victory can be achieved by checkmate, knockout, or points scored. There’s no time for dawdling in the rapid chess rounds either!
Obviously, you need to be skilled in both disciplines. A boxer who can’t strategize with rooks and bishops, or a chess master with no jab, simply won’t last. Chess Boxing first appeared in the early 2000s as performance art, inspired by a French comic book. Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh brought it from fantasy to a real sport. The first Chess Boxing World Championships were held in Amsterdam in 2003 and have continued annually in various countries, proving this unlikely sport has a dedicated global following.
2. Santa Claus Championships
To kick off the ski season in style, the Samnaun Ski Resort in Switzerland hosts the wonderfully novel Santa Claus World Championships (also known as Clau Wau) each November. Since 2001, teams of Santas, all dressed in their festive best, hit the slopes to compete in a two-day series of holiday-themed challenges.
One of the toughest events, according to Santa enthusiasts, is chimney climbing. Participants must scale a towering brick structure with a present in hand, ready to deliver it down the chimney once they reach the top. These adventurous Santas also get busy with sleigh driving, a snowmobile rally, gingerbread decorating, and even a mechanical reindeer rodeo. It’s a festive, fun-filled, and surprisingly athletic way to celebrate the start of winter!
1. Extreme Ironing
When you think of thrilling adventures, the everyday chore of ironing probably doesn’t leap to mind. That is, unless you’re an “Extreme Ironer.” These adventurous souls pack up their ironing boards and head to the most remote and unexpected locations to… you guessed it, iron clothes! For these “ironists,” the sky’s literally the limit. Some have ironed on mountain edges, while skydiving, or atop various buildings and landmarks.
Not to be outdone by those who take to the air, others have brought their ironing to the water, pressing shirts while water skiing, canoeing, or even scuba diving. Extreme ironing started modestly in a Leicester, UK backyard in the late 1990s. Phil Shaw, aka “Steam,” decided to iron outdoors to break the monotony. He and his housemate Paul, “Spray,” soon became pioneers, embarking on extreme ironing adventures and recruiting friends. By 2002, the first Extreme Ironing World Championships were held in Germany. Thrill-seeking ironists have been pushing the boundaries ever since, setting records like “Most People Extreme Ironing Underwater” – a title claimed by 173 divers in 2011!
The world is full of surprising and delightful ways people choose to compete and entertain themselves. These quirky contests not only test unusual skills but also bring communities together in laughter and shared excitement. Who knows what bizarre competition will pop up next?
Which of these quirky competitions would you love to try or watch? Leave your comment below!
