Mr Gay World USA Pageants

Mr Gay World (established 2008) is a non-profit, independent and non-political competition and organisation. The name, logo and trademark is owned by Mr. Eric Butter who is also the president of the organization.

The Mr Gay World competition strives to be a mentor in grooming gay leaders that will advance gay human rights both locally and throughout the world. As a contestant to Mr Gay World, the delegate signi?es his intent to be honor-bound by the following code of ethics: – To treat delegates, staff, judges and associates with respect and dignity; – To conduct himself with honesty, integrity and fairness and respect to the people around him; – To not discriminate based on race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and/or sexual expression; – To be responsible at all times for the truthful and non-deceptive promotion regarding MGW’s visions; – To support the goals of Mr Gay World, as well as support the LGBT community in general, in a constructive and positive manner; – To conduct business with strict adherence to the laws of their respective legal jurisdictions, the business or professional codes existent in such jurisdiction and the particular business or profession, and in accordance with generally accepted business practices.

Mr Gay World is a network of equals, delegates and producers. It is a competition that draws contestants from all over the world and reinforces the cultural bonds of the gay communities into a positive global network for raising awareness, promoting visibility, offering support to the wider LGBTQ community for human rights and acknowledging the active citizenship of gay people worldwide.

The contestants, as national winners possess many qualities. The winner will have a unique combination of looks, charm, intellect, confidence, awareness and self-esteem.

During the stages of the competition, and particularly in the personal interviews, the judges will focus on a man who: – shows an understanding of the world and people around him; – of how he can help contribute to a more equal and respectful society for all; – has respect for a range of views, but has confidence in expressing his own, when pursuing justice and well-being for gay people in all societies; – embraces cultural, linguistic, ability, gender, age, faith and sexual orientation diversity as norms to be promoted in a respectful world; – can learn, articulate his thoughts and conduct an intelligent conversation with people both gay and straight and even with people who do not share his views or values; – could be the man any group or company would like to have as their representative; – is at ease in any social setting, being formal or informal; – can articulate his opinions and knowledge and without effort convey it to an audience, media outlet or interviewer; – is involved or show in his local LGBTQ community (taking into account legal constraints in certain countries); – can be an ambassador of goodwill between all communities, by being visible, inspiring confidence and reinforcing understanding of the richness of cultural difference globally; – is confident in his own values, attributes and opinion. – is intelligent – with a reasonable general knowledge and a good knowledge of LGBTQ rights issues and recent LGBTQ events worldwide; – is respectful and careful of his appearance and wellbeing.

Each year The Mr Gay World competition (MGW) will look for a destination that wants to host with the intension to visit all regions of the world.

The MGW organisation strides to work and connect with official Mr Gay competitions and producers in each country.

Delegates: Only delegates elected in national competitions named “Mr Gay ” and which hold the rights to legally use the name “Mr Gay ” in the respective countries will be titled “Mr Gay ”. Other delegates will be titled “The delegate representing ”.

Producers: If a country does not have an official Mr Gay competition and/or producer, any organisation or person can come to an agreement with the MGW organisation to arrange a national final with the aim to find a national representative to the MGW, subject to MGW Regional Directors approval.

Producers: If a country does not have an official Mr Gay competition and/or producer, any organisation or person can come to an agreement with the MGW organisation to arrange a national final with the aim to find a national representative to the MGW, subject to MGW Regional Directors approval.

If a country participates in the event one year, it does not confer automatic entry into the event the following year. Likewise if you are not included one year, it does not prevent you from being selected another year. MGW will prioritize diversity in race, age, faith, region, ability, language, appearance and if a country has a well-functioning Mr Gay competition/production in selecting the finalists. A country who wins the final has the right to compete the following year, this also goes for the host country.

MGW is about organising international competitions and events. It has no role in selecting or interfering in national contests or their organisation. It does not promote rival or competitive national competitions, where a national transparent event exists. It seeks to co-operate with these well run, value driven, national contests where possible.

If a country has its own registered or established Mr Gay contest and should a country or a local Mr Gay decline an invitation to enter the MGW competition, the invitation can be extended to other possible national partners wishing to enter a delegate who will represent that country in the competition, subject to the MGW Regional Director’s approval.

Every effort will be made to ensure participation by the legitimate national winner, provided that the national contest is established and has been held at least once in the previous two years. In the event of no national event having been held in the previous two years, then MGW may accept a nomination from a new contest in that country.

In exceptional circumstances, if a country does not have an official Mr Gay competition and an organisation and no other national partners or organisers want to appoint, select or nominate a delegate, any gay man with a family address in and passport from a given country can register as a delegate through our Wild Card Program (WCP). The final decision as to whether to accept an independent application or the number of these allowed rests with the MGW executive committee.

All of the delegates will take part fully in the Mr Gay World event and following the final, will act as “ambassadors” for MGW in their region for the year. The Grand finale is a show of winners and national role models. Each delegate will receive two complimentary tickets for his local hosts, arrangers, family and friends. Tickets for friends or relatives can be bought at a later stage.

Delegates will be invited to take part in all segments of the finale and segments will be tailored if necessary to respect differences in ability, language or culture where possible. MGW commits itself to ensuring that all elements of the competition will be appropriate, will not promote negative stereotypes, and will be appealing and comfortable for all delegates.

The executive committee and the host producer of MGW will decide the number of contestants in each year’s competition. One delegate will be crowned Mr Gay World. Two other delegates will be named 1st and 2nd runner up and in the event of the winner not fulfilling his duties satisfactorily or resigning, the runner-up (s) will be invited by the president to succeed to the title in the order that they were successful.

June 2008
Eric Butter and Dean Nelson embarked on a mission to create a global competition that would inspire and empower gay men to come together in a public performance that would show the world that being gay encompasses a broad spectrum. The mission to demonstrate that both inward beauty and physical appearance are equally important as is leadership and confidence. It was our hope that by bringing these men together they would share their experiences to open both each others’ as well as the public’s eyes that in many regions on our planet being gay is a challenge and a fight for basic human rights.

September 2008
Both Eric Butter and the then Vice Chair of Mr Gay Europe, Tore Aasheim, were invited to Vancouver to discuss how we could bring this global vision to the International Producers and ensure that the Mr Gay World board had a united and global view.

October 2008
Mr Gay Europe initiated the Dublin Summit bringing Eric Butter (Australia), Dean Nelson (Canada), Tore Aasheim (Norway), Brian Merriman (Ireland) and Noemi Alberto (Philippines) together to discuss the structure, vision and mission of Mr Gay World and to form the first international board of directors in Dublin, Ireland. The new board officially awarded the first host city to Whistler, Canada during their annual Winter PRIDE celebrations.

February 2009
The first Mr Gay World Competition took place during the annual Winter PRIDE celebrations in the award winning mountain resort of Whistler, Canada welcoming 24 delegates. Only twenty of those competed which resulted in Ireland’s Max Krzyanowski winning the title. Mark Tewksbury (Canadian Olympian) and Charlie David (US/Canadian Actor/Producer) emceed the Grand Finale at the Westin Whistler Resort Ballroom to a sold out audience. Special guest performances by Canadian Pop recording artists Destineak and Vancouver’s drag diva Ms. Willie Taylor.

February 2010
The second Mr Gay World Competition took place in Oslo, Norway welcoming 23 delegates including Chinese National Xiaodai (Andrew) Muyi. The significance of having Andrew compete demonstrated to the people of China that they are not alone in their quest to be accepted. Andrew, who is Muslim, came from a dominant Muslim region of Xinjiang and explained in an interview with the Chinese Global Times ,“Organizing gay events in Xinjiang is much harder than in Beijing, because it is against religion.” Hanne Krogh, winner of the Eurovision song contest 1985, presented the Eric Butter Philanthropy award to HRH Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway for her dedication in HIV/AIDS-related work as well as youth empowerment. Emcee Will Fennell (Australia TV personality) named Charl van der Berg (South Africa) the title of Mr Gay World 2010.

March 2011
The third Mr Gay World Competition took place in Manila, Philippines. This year the MGW team brought the competition to the people of Manila where all the delegates volunteered their time to give back to a Manila slum restoration project – Gawad Kalinga to the Unilab GK Village Arkong Bato in Brgy Kapitolyo, Pasing City, Philippines. Each of the delegates brought books and toys to be donated to the village. The MGW team then went to work to renovate a new learning centre for the children. This was an important task as it gave the care workers as well as community officials an opportunity to see another aspect of gay men helping to overcome stereotypes of what they may think how gay men look and act. Filipino TV celebrity Boy Abunda, at Club Mwah in Mandaluyong City, was presented with the Eric Butter Philanthropy Award for his work in promoting a strong and positive role model for the Philippines’ LGBT community. Celebrity judge and 1969 Miss Universe, Gloria Diaz, was among the judges that determined South Africa’s Francois Nel would bring home the MGW title to African soil for the second consecutive year.

October 2011
Hosted by Mr Gay South Africa, Mr Gay World announces new Board of Directors at the Johannesburg Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa welcoming two new board members including Coenie Kukkuk (South Africa) Director for Africa and the Middle East, and Alfredo Ferreyra (Argentina) Director for South America / Caribbean – Latin America. Returning members are Eric Butter (Australia) – President, Dean Nelson (Canada) – Vice President Operations + Director for North America and Oceania, Noemi Alberto (Philippines) – Vice President Outreach + Director for Asia, Tore Aasheim (Norway) – Director for Europe.

April 2012
The fourth Mr Gay World Competition took place in Johannesburg, South Africa welcoming 24 registered participants to the Rainbow Nation. This was the first time that a major international gay event had been staged on African soil and caused much debate and public discussion within Africa and around the world – fulfilling one of the primary goals of the organization. For the first time, MGW had a huge highway billboard sign on one of the busiest motorways in Africa promoting the annual competition and raising the profile of LGBT Human Rights. It was also the first time the competition was able to host black Africans in the competition where these men literally put their lives on the line to raise awareness of LGBT human rights in their respective countries of Ethiopia, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean had extraordinary pressures, from both his family and President Robert Mugabe, and had to withdraw from the competition in order to avoid “embarrassing the country.” The Ethiopian also faced similar challenges but stayed to compete which forced him to become a refugee and lose his family. If he were to return to Ethiopia he would face impending death for being publicly gay. Emcees Cathy Specific and Soli Philander navigated a sold out audience at the Lyric Theatre in Gold Reef City, South Africa, recounting the incredible journey these men have been on while in South Africa. This included an outreach program to a Nkosi’s Haven – a South African NGO offering holistic care and support for destitute HIV/AIDS infected mothers, their children, and resulting AIDS orphans (infected or not). Dean Nelson (Canada) presented Coenie Kukkuk with the Eric Butter Philanthropy Award for his tireless work in creating a safer more inclusive environment for Africa’s LGBTI community and raising the profile and disparity in LGBTI Human Rights. The judges determined it would be Mr Gay New Zealand – Andreas (Andy) Derleth who would take home the title of Mr Gay World to Oceania, with South Africa again scoring well with Lance Weyer from the Eastern Cape placing second.

July 2013
During the world Outgames 2013 in Antwerp, Belgium, the organisation geared up to host the fifth annual Mr Gay World Competition in Antwerp, Belgium July 31st – August 5th welcoming the largest delegation to date from around the world eager to be the next Mr. Gay World™. Again, a New Zealander won – Christopher Olwage, walking away with five category wins. The Eric Butter Philanthropy Award was awarded to the well-known NoH8-campaign for their very visual and social media viral campaign of advocating against hate. It would be the first time a delegate from the Caribbean win the Sports challenge, with Aruba making the grade. In another first, a black African, Ricardo Amunjera would make the Top 5 placing as 3rd runner-up. Ricardo returned in 2015 to be a judge at Mr Gay World 2015.

August 2014
The next stop in Mr. Gay World’s journey around the world would take it to Rome, Italy with the producers this year being the Gay Village in Rome. This is also the first time the winner would be crowned outdoors – on the large stage at the open arena of Gay Village. The Gay Village is unique – creating a space for LGBT people every Thursday to Saturday during the summer in Rome. A strong contingent from Asia would participate, with delegates from Cambodia and Indonesia joining Mr Gay World for the first time with their counterparts from India, Philippines and Hong Kong. Italian politician and human rights activist, Imma Battaglia, took home the Eric Butter Philanthropy Award for her achievements in organising the first Rome Pride march as well as her decades-long fight for LGBT rights in Italy. India won three categories, but it would be the United Kingdom’s Stuart Hatton Jr. taking the title for the UK for the first time. Stuart would later launch his “So What” campaign on social media, attracting worldwide attention.

May 2015
South Africa would become the only country to have hosted Mr. Gay World twice, with the competition returning to the African continent, this time taking place in two cities, Cape Town and Knysna, with the Grand Finale taking place in Knysna on the 2nd of May. It would also be the first time that delegates would join a street parade, namely the annual Pink Loerie Mardi Gras & Arts Festival parade on the day of the final, with the Pink Loerie also the host and producer run by John-Louis O’Neil and Karin Sephton. Mr. Gay World also welcomed new directors Ivan Denis and Bram Bierkens (Belgium) for Europe and Juan Martin Boll (Argentina) and Nano Garcia for Latin America, and Dieter Sapper from Austria as CEO with Noemi Alberto (Philippines) returning for Asia. Coenie Kukkuk (South Africa) would continue as Director for Africa and the Middle East as well as Managing Director for 2015. A host of countries would make their debut at Mr. Gay World in 2015, including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Zambia, Uruguay and Malta participating for the first time.

MGW 2015
We had 21 delegates, with the Top Ten being Philippines, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Belgium, Finland, Hong Kong and Germany. Germany being crowned the winner as MGW in front of a cheering crowd in a sold out venue.
MGW 2016
Mr Gay World’s eighth edition took place in Malta in April 2016. The 24 delegates stayed at the Westin Dragonara 5 star hotel and the Grand Finale was held outdoors in the Villa Rosa, a wonderful castle in the hills of St Julian. The Top Ten were South Africa, Spain, Austria, Philippines, St Maarten, Brazil, Venezuela, Belgium , Great Britain and Germany. The top five were Spain, Austria, Philippines, St Maarten and Brazil. Spain took the title of MGW 2016.
MGW 2017
Mr Gay World 2017 was held in May 2017. Firstly the 21 delegates were hosted in Madrid in conjunction with World Pride Madrid 2017 and then the whole Mr Gay World crew flew Iberia Airlines three hours southwest to the amazing Canary Islands where the Grand Finale was held in Maspalomas. It was truly an unforgettable experience. The Top ten were Ecuador, Australia, India, Chile, Austria, South Africa, Belgium, Spain and the Philippines. The Philippines was crowned the winner in front of thousands of spectators cheering as Mr Spain came in second place.
MGW 2018
To celebrate Mr Gay World’s 10th anniversary , the event was held in the beautiful city of Knysna, South Africa in conjunction with the Pink Loeire Festival in May 2018. The week long event culminated with the MGW President’s Ball and Fundraising auction on Friday 25th of May, followed by the grand finale on Saturday 26th of May 2018 at Villa Castollini.
The Top Ten were Mexico, Costa Rica, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Belgium, India, Taiwan and Germany. The crowd’s favorite and very charming Mr. Australia was named the winner. New Zealand came second with India third and Taiwan placing fourth.

How it works.
The following activities will all be judged and the percentages as below will form the perfect score.
Sports Challenge: 5%
Written Test: 15%
Personal Interview: 15%
Social Responsibility Campaign: 10%
Public Voting: 20%
Social Media Presence: 10%
Swimwear: 10%
Formal Wear: 5%
National Costume: 5%
Top Ten Question: 2.5%
Top Five Question: 2.5%