MIR contest
| MIR | |
|---|---|
 Rubber Pride Flag | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Rubber, Fetish, Kink |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location | Chicagoland |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1997 |
| Most recent | October 16-19, 2025 |
| Organised by | MIR Contest, NPO |
| Website | mirubber |
MIR, formerly Mr. International Rubber, is a multi-day convention and contest celebrating the rubber, fetish, and kink communities.[1] Established in 1997, MIR occurs annually in Chicagoland during the autumn, drawing participants and attendees from all over the world.[2] Events include workshops, socials, dances, market, and the contest.
History
[edit]MIR started in 1997 hosted at the Boystown bar, Cell Block, and has been run every year since.[3] In 2009 MIR contest moved to the Center on Halsted to account for larger crowds.[4] In 2020 MIR 24 was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] MIR 27 in 2023 moved to a new location in Skokie, Illinois.[6]
At MIR 27 in 2023, organizers announced that the event would allow contestants of all genders to compete;[6] the contest winner may chose whichever honorific best represents them as MIR titleholder: Mr. International Rubber, Ms. International Rubber, Mx. International Rubber, or MIR International Rubber Ambassador.[7] To promote inclusion, organizers also changed the official name of the contest from "Mr. International Rubber" to gender-neutral "MIR."[7]
The Leather Archives & Museum holds many of MIR's records.[8]
Winners
[edit]As of October 2025, 28 contestants representing nine countries have won MIR: the United States (14), Canada (5), Germany (2), the Netherlands (2), Australia (1), France (1), Italy (1), Poland (1), and the United Kingdom (1).
Below is a table of MIR contest winners.[9] Winner's Country as used in the table refers to the winner's country of residence at the time they won the competition.
| Year | Class | Winner | Preliminary Title / Sponsor | Winner's Country | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MIR 29 | Elliott Eve | Mx Melbourne Rubber 2024 |  Australia
|
[9][10] |
| 2024 | MIR 28 | Rush | M. San Francisco Rubber 2024 |  United States
|
[11] |
| 2023 | MIR 27 | AJ Huff | Mr. San Francisco Rubber 2020 | United States
|
[12] |
| 2022 | MIR 26 | Pusckatt Pumera ONYX | Mr. Florida Rubber 2023 | United States
|
[12][13] |
| 2021 | MIR 25 | ChicagoRubber | United States
|
[12] | |
| 2020 | MIR 24 | Contest was virtual and no MIR titleholder was selected. | [12] | ||
| 2019 | MIR 23 | Adalberto Rubadam | Mr. Rubber Netherlands 2019 |  Netherlands
|
[12] |
| 2018 | MIR 22 | Guillaume Dupuis | M. Rubber Montréal 2018 |  Canada
|
[12] |
| 2017 | MIR 21 | Michal Neighbour | Mr. Rubber Poland 2017 |  Poland
|
[12] |
| 2016 | MIR 20 | Preston "Wexx" So | Mr. New England Rubber 2016 | United States
|
[12] |
| 2015 | MIR 19 | Jeffrey "Gummibärchen" Basile | Mr. Midwest Rubber 2015 | United States
|
[12] |
| 2014 | MIR 18 | Max Samauth | Mr. Rubber Netherlands 2014 | Netherlands
|
[12] |
| 2013 | MIR 17 | Andy "CosmicRoo" Coatham | Mr. Rubber Toronto 2013 | Canada
|
[12] |
| 2012 | MIR 16 | Rubber Jason | Mr. New England Rubber 2012 | United States
|
[14] |
| 2011 | MIR 15 | Sly Hands | Mr. Rubber UK 2011 |  United Kingdom
|
[12] |
| 2010 | MIR 14 | G-Man | Mr. Southeast Rubber 2010 | United States
|
[12] |
| 2009 | MIR 13 | Fenn | Mr. Rubber Toronto 2010 | Canada
|
[12] |
| 2008 | MIR 12 | Stephane Donaldson | Mr. Rubber Montreal 2008 | Canada
|
[12] |
| 2007 | MIR 11 | BJ Turgeon | Mr. Rubber Montreal 2007 | Canada
|
[12] |
| 2006 | MIR 10 | Maurizo Iacone | Mr. Rubber Italy 2006 |  Italy
|
[12] |
| 2005 | MIR 9 | Michael Schneider | Mr. Rubclub 2005 |  Germany
|
[12] |
| 2004 | MIR 8 | Frank Bug | Mr. Rubclub 2004 | Germany
|
[12] |
| 2003 | MIR 7 | Chris Vincent | United States
|
[12] | |
| 2002 | MIR 6 | William "Rubberwilli" Schendel | United States
|
[12] | |
| 2001 | MIR 5 | Yannick Kerjose |  France
|
[12] | |
| 2000 | MIR 4 | Chad McLaughlin | United States
|
[12] | |
| 1999 | MIR 3 | Tom Kelley | United States
|
[12] | |
| 1998 | MIR 2 | Thomas Smith | United States
|
[12] | |
| 1997 | MIR 1 | Christoph Lehner | United States
|
[12] | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Tips for Newbies". mirubber.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Lieberman, Hallie (2023-05-25). "'Fuck the Rules:' Rubberists are Starting Their Own Revolution". Vice. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "Rubber lovers". Time Out Chicago. 2005-02-04. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ "Mr. International Rubber 2010". Time Out Chicago. 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ "MR INTERNATIONAL RUBBER PRESENTS: MIR24 - RUBBER LAB". Demasque Magazine. 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ a b "MIR's Intergalactic Rubber celebration soars to a suburb not too far way". Windy City Times. 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
- ^ a b "An Inclusive Contest - MIR Contest". mirubber.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Mr. International Rubber (MIR) Collection". Leather Archives & Museum. ORG-0015. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ a b "Titleholders - MIR Contest". mirubber.com. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ^ Stevens, Joseph (2025-10-24). "Rubber enthusiasts head for the 'burbs to celebrate at MIR International Rubber Weekend". Windy City Times. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
- ^ Stevens, Joseph (2024-10-20). "International Mr. Rubber goes to Skokie". Windy City Times. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Titleholders - MIR Contest". mirubber.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Mister International Rubber takes the stage at Center on Halsted, Riviera Theatre". Windy City Times. 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Jason "RubberJason" Lynch - In Memoriam". mirubber.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.