Montreal's Search for Queer of the Year

All your friends know you're a fabulous person, but the city of Montreal wants the world to know.

This August, Tourism Montreal and Gay.com will bring five contestants to Montreal to compete for the title, Queer of the Year. Daniel Baylis, event host and Tourisme-Montreal.org blogger, told The Advocate he can't reveal the celebrity judge panel, or what the top five contestants can look forward to when they arrive to Montreal, but any lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender person from anywhere around the world is welcome to compete.

"The contest itself is kept fairly tightly under wraps," he said, "but they will be judged on five criteria -- personality, talent, healthy lifestyle, sex appeal, and a sense of community. So the five competitions will each be aligned with those aspects."

He did share one key component that could help put one contestant over the top.

"Community involvement is definitely considered a worthy trait, as well as the ability to spread your experience of your trip, should you come to Montreal," he added. "So if you have a Twitter following, or a Facebook following, those are great tools to have, as well."

Judging from the people interviewed on the street, "queer" can mean just about anything, from being someone who stands up for their rights, to simply being a male version of Lady Gaga.

Prospective contestants must fill out an application and upload their short entry video to YouTube. From there, the video entries are posted on QueerOfTheYear.com, where visitors can vote on their favorite contestants. The top five picks then get to go to Montreal for a quick getaway and contest on August 9.

The deadline for entries is July 15.

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