IML Feeder Contests
As announced during our MAL Press Conference in January 2026, the International Mr. Leather contest will be limiting the class to 50 contestants beginning with the 2027 contest.
Senior Director of Contests, Daddy Tony, explains this decision in more detail below:
To arrive at the below list of pre-approved feeder titles, we pulled a list of every IML contestant and their title from 2015 through 2025. From there, we created a point system based on how many times a given contest sends contestants; we weighted 2022-2026 more heavily to account for the altered title contest landscape after we returned from the COVID-19 shutdown.
We placed titles into rough geographic regions to ensure that contests from outside the USA are not penalized because the expense of overseas travel puts them at a disadvantage for sending a contestant every year. Each region received a number of entries proportionate to the number of contestants from the region out of the full list of contestants. Based on the number of entries that each region received, the contests with the most points in each region were pre-approved. Then, any title that sent a contestant who became IML and didn’t make the points cut was added to the pre-approved list.
You can see the list we arrived at below. This list is not static. Each year, we will update the list based on the previous 10 years of contestants and 15 years of IML winners.
Pre-approved Feeder Contests:
Bavarian Mr. Leather
Eagle LA Mr. Leather
Italian Fetishman of the Year
Laird Leatherman
Leatherman of Color
M. Cuir Montréal (Mr. Leather Montreal)
Mr. Alamo City Leather
Mr. Bolt Leather
Mr. Chicago Leather
Mr. Classic Leather
Mr. CMEN Leather
Mr. Colombia Leather
Mr. Connecticut Leather
Mr. Eagle NYC
Mr. Eagle Wilton Manors
Mr. Fetish Spain
Mr. Firedancer
Mr. Friendly SF
Mr. GayDays Leather
Mr. GNI Leather
Mr. Hidden Door
Mr. Iowa Leather
Mr. Leather Berlin
Mr. Leather Colorado
Mr. Leather Europe
Mr. Leather France
Mr. Leather Norway
Mr. Los Angeles Leather
Mr. Louisiana Leather
Mr. Michigan Leather
Mr. MidAtlantic Leather
Mr. Missouri Leather
Mr. New Jersey Leather
Mr. Ohio Leather
Mr. Palm Springs Leather
Mr. Phoenix Leather
Mr. Queensland Leather
Mr. Ramrod
Mr. Route 66 Leather
Mr. San Diego Leather
Mr. San Francisco Eagle Leather
Mr. San Francisco Leather
Mr. Texas Leather
Mr. Twin Cities Leather
Mx. Atlanta Eagle
Mx. Maryland Leather
New England Leather
San Francisco Eagle Leather PUP
Sydney Mr. Leather
Washington State Mr. Leather
Special note for Producers:
If you have sent a contestant to IML in the past 10 years, you may request a copy of the complete data set for your reference. Please include in the message your contestant's full name and the year they completed under your title.