A new beard king has been crowned at the Iowa State Fair.
Hundreds of people passed through Pioneer Hall on the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 18, with some stopping to watch the annual beard-growing contest. Besides the longest beard, competitors vied for the best-groomed, most unique, most historic and best beard with a costume.
Three random fairgoers were selected from the audience to judge the beard-growing contest. For categories such as longest beard, judges and fair volunteers used a ruler to measure the contestants’ facial hair, from the tip of the chin to the end of the beard.
And after years of dominance by one Center Point man in the longest beard category, a new champion has been crowned.
Meet the winners of the Iowa State Fair beard-growing contest
Martinez’s beard measured 32.5 inches, over four inches longer than Harold Stephenson’s winning length of 28 inches in 2025. Stephenson had won the longest beard category 15 times over the previous 17 contests.
Besides bragging rights for having arguably the most impressive beards in Iowa, first-place winners received blue ribbons, while second- through 10th-place finishers received participation ribbons.
Garriott, dressed in an Oktoberfest-themed costume, won the best beard with costume category for the second consecutive year.
Pullen took home two awards, winning both the most unique and most historic categories. After years of finishing as a runner-up in previous competitions, Pullen said the win validated the work he puts into caring for his facial hair.
Though he admitted the most historic award came as a surprise.
“I asked ChatGPT which historical figures I look like,” Pullen said. “One of the suggestions was Ulysses S. Grant, which I don’t really see, but I’ll take it.”
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Iowa State Fair’s hairiest competition is back. Meet the winners
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
