Hairy Men Awards

[furrbear]

Tom Jones and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams have both been nominated for the coveted Beard of the Year 2008 title. The annual prize is the idea of The Beard Liberation Front (BLF) – who call themselves an “informal network of beard wearers”. They say the award is designed to highlight those who have given beards a positive image in the public eye during the last year. Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant won it in 2007.

But Sir Tom, who has just released his new album 24 hours, and 58-year-old Williams will have to fend off stiff competition from nine other celebrities whose facial features have also made the short list. The other nominees include Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker, comedian and actor Eddie Izzard and Discworld author Terry Pratchett, as well as Sunderland manager Roy Keane and Wikipedia creator Jimmy Wales.

The winner will be announced on December 29.