MIR, formerly Mr. International Rubber, is a multi-day convention and contest celebrating the rubber, fetish, and kink communities. Established in 1997, MIR occurs annually in Chicagoland during the autumn, drawing participants and attendees from all over the world. Events include workshops, socials, dances, a kink market, and the contest.
The Leather Archives & Museum holds many of MIR's records.
History The inaugural MIR contest was held in 1997 at Cell Block, a gay bar in Boystown.
In 2009, MIR moved to the Center on Halsted to account for larger crowds.
In 2020 MIR 24 was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At MIR 27 in 2023, organizers announced that the event would allow contestants of all genders to compete; 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. To promote inclusion, organizers also changed the official name of the contest from "Mr. International Rubber" to gender-neutral "MIR." MIR 27 and 28 were held in Skokie, Illinois.
In 2026, MIR is scheduled to return to Chicago for its thirtieth anniversary contest.
Winners 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. Winner's Country as used in the table refers to the winner's country of residence at the time they won the competition. YearClassWinnerPreliminary Title / SponsorWinner's CountryRef.2025MIR 29Elliott EveMx Melbourne Rubber 20242024MIR 28RushM. San Francisco Rubber 20242023MIR 27AJ HuffMr. San Francisco Rubber 20202022MIR 26Pusckatt Pumera ONYXMr. Florida Rubber 20232021MIR 25ChicagoRubber2020MIR 24Contest was virtual and no MIR titleholder was selected.2019MIR 23Adalberto RubadamMr. Rubber Netherlands 20192018MIR 22Guillaume DupuisM. Rubber Montréal 20182017MIR 21Michal NeighbourMr. Rubber Poland 20172016MIR 20Preston "Wexx" SoMr. New England Rubber 20162015MIR 19Jeffrey "Gummibärchen" BasileMr. Midwest Rubber 20152014MIR 18Max SamauthMr. Rubber Netherlands 20142013MIR 17Andy "CosmicRoo" CoathamMr. Rubber Toronto 20132012MIR 16Rubber JasonMr. New England Rubber 20122011MIR 15Sly HandsMr. Rubber UK 20112010MIR 14G-ManMr. Southeast Rubber 20102009MIR 13FennMr. Rubber Toronto 20102008MIR 12Stephane DonaldsonMr. Rubber Montreal 20082007MIR 11BJ TurgeonMr. Rubber Montreal 20072006MIR 10Maurizo IaconeMr. Rubber Italy 20062005MIR 9Michael SchneiderMr. Rubclub 20052004MIR 8Frank BugMr. Rubclub 20042003MIR 7Chris Vincent2002MIR 6William "Rubberwilli" Schendel2001MIR 5Yannick Kerjose2000MIR 4Chad McLaughlin1999MIR 3Tom Kelley1998MIR 2Thomas Smith1997MIR 1Christoph Lehner
References
See also International Mr. Leather International Ms. Leather Leather competitions Rubber events and organizations