Eric Szczerba A special category has been added to the upcoming Mr Urge NZ Bear competition to mark the life of a former winner who died suddenly last year. For the first time this year a special trophy will be rewarded for Mr Congeniality in honour of Mr NZ Bear 2010 Eric Szczerba, who died from a heart attack he suffered while mountain biking in September. The Mr Urge Bear 2012 competition will be held on Friday 17 February and is part of the annual Get It On! Bear New Zealand Week, which runs from 12-19 February. Organisers are looking for participants who think they have the right 'fluff' to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Arthur. The winner receives return flights to Melbourne to compete at Southern HiBearnation in June. "This is the seventh year we have run the competition and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger," says Urge co-owner Alan Granville. "Bears Christchurch recently held its second Bear competition and is sending its winner to Auckland to compete and we have had interest from all around the country. We welcome guys all shapes and sizes and ultimately you are also helping to raise money on the night for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation." Anyone who is keen should email urgebar@ihug.co.nz for details and more information can be found at the official Bear New Zealand website: www.bearnewzealand.co.nz
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 11th January 2012 - 12:41pm