Australian Leather Competition Crowns 2026 Titleholders

The national Australian Leather Competition held their annual titleholder competition overnight in Sydney.

After a tough night of competition a new titleholder for Mr Australian Leather emerged.

Meanwhile two 2025 titleholders will continue to serve another term for 2026.

Mr Australian Leather crowed in Sydney

The Australian Leather Competition looked a little different in Sydney this week with a smaller contingent of contestants.

Whilst there were three competitors for the title of Mr Australian Leather, just one contestant took to the stage for the title of Ms Australian Leather. The title of Australian Bootblack was retained by 2025 title holder Koda as there were no competitors for this category this year.

 

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That didn’t stop it being a fantastic night of competition.

Non-binary performer Dusty delivered an impressive showing for the judges, receiving plenty of praise and support from the audience. However after the judges deliberation they did not meet the minimum point requirements to proceed as a titleholder for 2026. Instead Ms Demeaner, the Ms Australian Leather 2025 titleholder was offered the title for another year, which was accepted.

 

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Taking to the stage for the Mr Australian Leather title was Cal Hawk, Brendan Josey and Cooper Heeler. The trio presented a strong offering for the judges, with the title ultimately going to Cal Hawk.

Speaking to the Star Observer Cal said the win felt amazing “It feels pretty surreal to be honest, I’ve gone for a title twice before, it’s been a decade pretty much, but actually kind of get that endorsement, I guess that approval from the community, it feels amazing.”

“I think what I love about the leather community in general is that it takes the collective work of a lot of people bringing their talent and that was a little bit about what my speech was tonight around what you’ve got to contribute and everybody that kind of thinks ‘oh I don’t have this or I don’t have that’ and the reality is that everybody has something and it’s one of those communities that I think is remarkable for our queer communities more broadly because they push the boundaries, a lot of ways they sit as an outlier and I think that’s even increasingly important in kind of a global conservative landscape that would love to see queer people out of the picture. The leather community has and always will be a community that kind of drags people back in the other direction and says no no no we will not go silently, we will continue to be here, we have always been here and we will continue to be here.”

Speaking to those who might be hesitant about getting involved with the community Cal encouraged them to explore what the community has on offer for everyone. “I think the thing is a lot of folks don’t realise the spectrum of events that are out there and there’s a lot of pub nights and socials and that’s a really great way where you don’t have to necessarily be a sexually charged space, it’s not like going to a dance party or a sex on premises venue where those kink and fetish events happen. Pub mixer socials are a great way to just meet people, humanise the community, because we are human beings and I think that’s a great way to get started and then from there, where do you want to go? You choose your own adventure.

Taking place at Universal in Sydney the event was returning to familiar ground, competition producer and Australian Leather board member Darshil reflected on the significance of returning to Sydney. “The competition for the longest period was held only in Sydney. In the last few years after travelling through various cities this year feels like a revisit to its beginnings with the comp being held at the former Midnight Shift to honour the legacy of the venue as a meeting place for leatherfolks.”

President of Australian Leather Morgan Rogers spoke of the importance of the event stating “As the President and a past title holder I believe that leather competitions are a way for us to honor and respect our leather history, promote visibility, educate and stand up against stigma.”