Over the weekend, the 6th annual National Beard and Mustache Championships took place in Brooklyn, and it was a doozy. 300 beard and moustache enthusiasts turned out from around the world to compete in 18 categories from natural mustache, to Amish Beard, to full beard freestyle. As you can imagine – facial hair of all kinds was represented at the event – including Eric Brooks, who fashioned a gigantic bird cage-style beard that encased his head.

The competition is held for a cause, and this year’s beneficiary is the Fire Department of the City of New York, in honor of the department’s 150th anniversary. Learn more about the event (and how you can enter, if you dare, at Nationalbeardchampionships.com