World’s wackiest faces revealed as 19-time gurning champion dethroned at Egremont

In Egremont, Cumbria, the World Gurning Championships crowned new winners this weekend, with Ryan Barton capturing the men’s title and ending the 19-year reign of Tommy Mattinson, who did not compete this year due to ill health. The 42-year-old father of two secured the crown at the market town’s long-running event, part of the historic Egremont Crab Fair and Sports. Barton said the triumph was dedicated to his late uncle, Peter Jackman, described by organizers as another gurning legend whose memory, they noted, “definitely lives on.”

In the women’s competition, drama surrounded the defending champion as Lynn Kelly edged out last year’s titleholder Claire Lister in a dramatic finish, with organizers describing the moment as a hard-fought “pipping at the post.” Lister’s absence from the podium was tempered by another family win later in the day: Lister’s daughter Kendall claimed the junior gurning crown.

Gurning is a rural English tradition in which competitors contort their facial expressions within the frame of a horse collar, attempting to transform a normal look into the most uncanny or humorous visage. The sport has long been associated with village fairs across the countryside, but recent years have seen its appeal widen well beyond its geographic roots. Judges note that competitors must cope with variables on the day, including wind, which can affect the angle and steadiness of the gurn, as they decide who best transforms their expression.

The two-day event is a marquee feature of the Egremont Crab Fair and Sports, a fair dating back to 1267 that has long showcased local producers alongside a range of quirky competitions. This year’s programme included wheelbarrow races and horn-blowing contests, underscoring the fair’s blend of local tradition and broader appeal. Organisers highlighted that the victors “beat out dozens of competitors from across the globe” to bring home the bacon and that the competition remains a celebration of rural culture with a growing international footprint.

The win for Barton was described by the organizers as a moment of personal and communal significance. “Ryan said this was dedicated to his uncle, Peter Jackman, who is another of our gurning legends,” they said, adding that they extended their best wishes to Mattinson for a speedy recovery and hoped to see him back on stage soon. The absence of Mattinson, a 19-time champion, underscored the evolving lineup of faces and stories that have defined the event for nearly a century.

For Lister, the dramatic finish in the women’s championship did not end the family’s story at the fair. While she did not retain her title, her daughter Kendall’s victory in the junior category offered a continuation of a gurning legacy within the same family, illustrating how the sport remains both a competitive arena and a communal tradition where new generations can emerge.

As the fair concluded, organizers stressed the enduring appeal of a competition that continues to attract participants and spectators from around the world. The World Gurning Championships, embedded within the Egremont Crab Fair’s centuries-old history, remains a quirky but enduring reflection of cultural continuity, local pride, and the universal human impulse to entertain and astonish through a single, expressive moment distorted by a collar and a crowd of cheering onlookers.