Manchester, UK
29th November – 1st December 2024
The UK Bootblack Contest is a non-gendered contest for all levels of ability that aims to showcase the talents of the diverse community of bootblacks we have in the UK, looking at all aspects of what bootblacking is and can be, from technical aspects, passion, service and heart and sole. It will be a fantastic experience to come and join other bootblacks on the stands and have fun with it! It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing it, we promise you will learn a lot and get a huge amount out of competing, win or lose!
The UK Bootblack Contest 2024 will take place in Manchester from Friday 29th November to Sunday 1st December 2024. The weekend will consist of a Friday night fetish party and a Saturday afternoon fetish market with the final results of the contest being announced at 6pm. There will also be an optional Winner’s Brunch from 11 until 3pm on the Sunday.
The Friday night party will run from 7.00pm until 3pm. There will be space for public bootblack stands so the contestants can care for your gear and shine your boots, a play space, bar and dance floor.
The Saturday fetish market will run from 1pm until 7pm. We will have space for public bootblack stands, a number of vendor stalls, and stage shows to keep you entertained. The winner of the contest will be announced on stage at 6pm.
On the Sunday we will have a set menu Winner’s Brunch, where we get to celebrate the winner of the glorious UK Bootblack Sash (made for us by the wonderful Ollie at Fetish Daddy) and enjoy some social time together in community. This is optional and the venue is limited in capacity. The brunch is not included in the weekend pass ticket, and will need to be purchased separately. If you buy a brunch ticket, we will email you the menu for your information. We aim to cater for all dietry requirements.
The contest is open to all gender identities and bootblack skill levels of people over the age of 18 who live within the British Isles and Ireland. Registration is open until 17th November 2024. We encourage potential contestants to talk to us regarding their accessibility needs in advance if they wish to. Please email: ukbootblackcompetition@gmail.com
The application link is below:
UK Bootblack Contest Application Form
Contest Format
The contest has a teaching component which should be submitted in advance. The closing date for submission is 20th November 2024:
A Teaching/Class Video: A 10-minute video of a class you feel is pertinent to being a title holder. This could be a bootblack class on one aspect of bootblacking, a special skill you have that is relevant, or even a class on how to navigate the bootblack stand, communication, or inclusivity and diversity, for example. (10 mins minimum, 15 minutes max. You may use a PowerPoint Presentation that is videoed, a class recording or any media that works on video).
The live contest will take place over 2 days of the contest weekend and will consist of the following sections:
Tech Boot: This will be the first part of the live contest and will take place at the beginning of the Friday party night. All contestants will be given a pair of the same style of boot with a similar level of damage, They will work on one boot only and may choose which boot of the pair they work on. Their aim should be to inspect, assess and repair or conserve the damage, using products from their kit, or products lent to them. They should also treat the boot in a way suitable for that type of leather and boot – soft shine, high shine, oil tan, etc. They will work in front of their judging panel, in public, during the Friday night of the contest. Technical skills will not only be judged on the Tech Boot, but will also be assessed throughout the scheduled pubic bootblacking times of the contest
Bootblack Speed Dating: This is a fun, light-hearted part of the contest, that will happen on stage, as an introduction to the contestants at the Friday night party, before we put them on the bootblack stands for the evening. Contestants are paired up for a ‘date’ with each judge in turn. Each judge gets 1 minute to ask 2 questions, and then they rotate on to the next contestant. Answers will need to be prompt, or the timer will time out. Think of this as speed dating! Also, this is the one legitimate time you get to ‘flirt’ with your judges 😉
Public Stand Time: On the Friday evening and Saturday afternoon of the weekend contestants will work the bootblack stands serving the public and their judges. There will be a maximum of 10 hours stand time, half of which will be judged, with the other half of the allotted time being optional. Contestants are encouraged to take breaks whenever they need to and to work their chair in a way that meets their own needs. Although bootblacking can be hard on the body, the UK contest considers itself an accessible contest, and we aim to ensure we meet all accessibility needs for our contestants. We encourage potential contestants to talk to us regarding their needs in advance so we may accommodate them. Please email: ukbootblackcompetition@gmail.com
Personal Interview: This will be an individual interview with the judges over 30 minutes. Judges may ask questions about any aspect of bootblacking, leather history, BDSM, or may ask questions about the contestant’s personal journey in leather, and any club or community involvement. Judges may ask follow-up questions to help clarify a question. It’s not important how long you’ve been in your community or even how long you’ve been bootblacking. The interview aims to look at you as a person, your values, your aims and goals, and how you see yourself as a bootblack and community person. Bootblacking is just one aspect of our identity. We are looking for a title holder who can represent the community in spaces other than bootblack spaces, and how you conduct yourself is a part of that.
Public Ballot: Each contestant will have 50 personalised and numbered ballot papers. Customers can choose whether to place their ballot or not – it’s optional. Ballots are counted for each contestant and scores are averaged out over the number of customers they had – speed and number of boots is not an advantage, but quality of care is!
UK Bootblack Contest Production Team:
Producer, Alistair LeatherHiraeth: Bootblack Europe 2020, International Mr Bootblack 2022, Producer of Bootblack Europe at Darklands
Assistant Producer, Malakai MacDonald: Bootblack Europe 2023
