The organizers of the "Mr. England" contest have faced an unusual problem days before the final: only seven men have entered the competition, despite the aim of selecting 12 finalists. The situation has prompted joking comments about "shortage of handsome men" in Britain and forced organizers to launch an urgent search for more candidates.
The contrast with the women's contest is stark. While "Miss England" traditionally attracts a large number of applicants, men are far more reserved about the idea of being judged in a beauty contest.
Organizer Angie Beasley believes that the reason may be the longer tradition and greater popularity of women's competitions. According to her, British men are “shy and slow“ when it comes to putting themselves forward for participation.
Because of the low interestthe semi-finalists in “Miss England“ have been given an unusual task: to nominate their friends and acquaintances who they believe have the qualities to be “Mr England“.
Candidates must be between the ages of 17 and 27, single, confident, sporty and charismatic. Appearance is only part of the criteria. The organizers are encouraging participants to get involved in charitable causes. This year, they can raise money for the organization Balls to Cancer, after the competition raised over 23,000 pounds for it in 2024.
A similar problem occurred two years ago. The then “Miss England” Mila Magee went out on a beach in Newquay in search of potential candidates. The public campaign paid off and more than 100 men entered the competition. Among them was the Royal Guardsman Manuel Alcantara Turner, who later won the title.
The final event for “Mr. England” in 2026 it is scheduled for October 11 at the Melton Theatre in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, alongside the semi-finals of “Miss England“. The official website of the competition confirms that applications are still being accepted.
Among the men who have already attracted attention around the competition is 25-year-old Alex Major from Bolton. His story is significantly different from the typical image of a model. A few years ago, he weighed over 150 kilograms and suffered from severe acne, which seriously affected his self-esteem. According to him, there were periods when he avoided social contacts and hardly left his house.
Alex Major changed his diet, started exercising regularly and lost approximately 70 kilograms in about three years. After the transformation, he began working as a model and reached the final stage of “Mr England“. In September, he was also preparing to take part in the international competition “Mr Global“.
The low number of candidates for “Mr England“ probably speaks less about a supposed “shortage of handsome men“ and more about different attitudes towards male beauty pageants”. While women's competitions have decades of tradition and significantly greater publicity, their male equivalent still remains a relatively niche phenomenon.
However, the organizers still have a few more days to repeat the success of the previous edition and find the missing candidates before the stage in Melton Mowbray determines the next “Mr England“.