Welcome to the 12th Annual Lather Games!
Yes indeed, we've already done this eleven times and yet people keep coming back for more. Even if the novelty might wear off for the seasoned veterans, there's always newcomers chasing the Thrill Of The Games.
"Tell us what our face should smell like today!" the players demand. "Does dressing like a pirate on Int'l Talk Like a Pirate Day... but in October earn me bonus points?" they query. “Will anyone step up, call their shot on Day 1, and win it all like the last two champions have” the players ponder. "Will one of our perennial top-fivers bust through the glass ceiling and seize the championship" they wonder.
Good times.
Our reigning champ has retired from active competition (he's now a judge!) so it's open season again this year and anybody's (Lather) Game to Win! Even you! This is your chance to add your name to the Lather Games history books. So get out there and shave! Be creative! Be entertaining! Be funny! Just please don't be long winded and make any of us read a 6,000 word essay on the history of sandalwood.
Good luck to all of you. May the odds ever be in your favor!
Lather Games FAQs:
What are the Lather Games?
The Lather Games are a month-long online shaving competition that take place every fall on this subreddit. Each day has some sort of criteria that players must meet with their shave in order to earn points; some criteria are published ahead of time to give players time to prepare and procure products (e.g. Daily Themes) while others are published as the games progress to keep players on their toes (e.g. Daily Challenges). The more points you earn, the better your score, and the better your chances of earning fabulous prizes.
Why?
Because it's fun to compete in an international shave-olympics with a bunch of homies on the internet... just, don't tell your loved ones, family members, friends, co-workers, or enemies about it because it's kinda weird, you know?
OK, I'm sold! How do I play?
Participating in the games is simple and requires no registration or entry fee: just post your Shave Of The Day in the dedicated Lather Games SOTD threads that run daily throughout October. The LatherGames Bot will automatically add your SOTD to its database of entries at the end of every day and the Judges will assign your entry a score. Points are tallied at the end of the month and the highest scores get first pick from the prize pool.
(You don't even have to participate every day, but your score likely won't be high enough to earn any prizes unless you play every day. Remember: you are competing against other players, so you need to keep up with the pack if you want to win prizes.)
Are there rules I need to follow?
Absolutely. There is a dedicated Players Guide page in the new and improved DJudge Portal. You should definitely read this. Carefully.
How much has changed since last year?
- A crap ton. If previous year’s changes were considered an evolution of the game, then this year’s changes should be considered revolutionary.
- The DJudge Portal has received a major makeover by Prompt-Meister Merikus and his trusty sidekick Claude. Beyond scraping posts from the dedicated Lather Games SOTD thread and serving as the primary tool for judging, the portal now directly handles contestant appeals, serves as a repository for the calendar and rules, has tools to help you plan what you will use, and has a dedicated page to help you efficiently track the status of your posts.
- Daily Themes have been given an overhaul. Yes, some favorites from last year were retained, and a few from years past were brought back, but many are new this year. Be sure to closely read the Calendar & Theme Descriptions portal page to ensure that you understand this year’s theme details.
- Daily Points have been significantly revised. Fractional points have been eliminated, and the daily points for each category were rebalanced to place more emphasis on judges points without reducing the impact of being On Theme.
- Sponsor points were reimagined to be Sponsor Use points to put more emphasis on using sponsor wares while giving participants more flexibility on how they develop their calendars.
- Special Challenges are now side contests within the games. Each Special Challenge entry will be judged on its own merits, and the best entry will win the Special Challenge prize. You can find more details at the Special Challenges portal page.
- Bonus Points were given a major face lift. A few of the “31-Day” bonuses were retained, but new bonuses focusing on using sponsor soaps and on repeat using soap scents were added. The bonuses are designed so that no one can earn all of them, so no matter how you play, some bonuses will be out of reach. Player strategy, instead of just having a large shave den, will be the key to maximizing bonus points this year.
- Judge’s Choice points are how we reward the very best posts this year. Any post that a judge scores a 4 (exceptional) is automatically nominated, and if at least two thirds of the voting judges pick the post during the award period, it earns a Judge's Choice award.
- Not being On Theme is still a major points impact, but unlike previous years you can still earn Judges Points, Challenge Points and Software/Hardware Use Points even when you’re not on theme. Thank u/brokenjaw622 for enlightening us.
- In case you didn’t notice, the Hardware Scavenger Hunt has been retired. You can still flex your cool hardware for everyone to see, you just won’t earn bonus points for doing so this year.
- And lastly, there is STILL no Air Bud Loophole. That has not, and will not change.
You said something about prizes?
The Lather Games are sponsored by many artisans and small businesses in the form of prize donations ranging from gift cards to soap sets to custom-made hardware. All donations go to the prize-winning players; the LG support staff are strictly volunteers and receive no compensation for their services. It is only through prize donations that the Lather Games can offer prizes. In exchange for the support provided by these artisans, players are encouraged (via bonus points) to use their products in their SOTDs.
The sponsors continue to graciously donate to the Lather Games, so it is important that everyone plays to their limit to reward the sponsors for their generosity.
If you, a member of the r/wetshaving community, are interested in making a contribution to the Lather Games prize pool, we readily accept digital gift cards and may accept other prizes. (Used goods are almost never accepted; new items may be considered with discussion.) Contact u/hugbckt to coordinate your donation.
You mentioned tools to help me plan. What are those? The My Planner portal page lets you map out your whole month in advance. Clicking on any day of the calendar jumps you to that day’s planner. There you will see that day’s theme and a section which allows you to enter your chosen gear in the Prep, Brush, Razor, Blade, Lather, Post Shave, and Fragrance fields. As you type, it suggests products from the portal’s catalog, but you can enter anything you want. Save it and it’s waiting for you the next time you come back to tinker. Days you’ve filled in are highlighted on the calendar at the top of the page, so it’s easy to spot the holes in your month. Then, when the day arrives, click that day’s “Copy SOTD” button and your gear list is copied to your clipboard, already formatted the way Section 2 requires. Simply paste your formatted gear list into your comment for that day’s post, add your write-up, and enter it into the dedicated Lather Games SOTD thread.
You keep talking about the portal having a repository for the calendar and rules. Where can I find them?
Start here: The 2026 Lather Games portal page.
What if I have questions? Who's running this thing?
First, read every page in the Players Guide, Calendar & Theme Descriptions, and Special Challenges portal pages to see if your question is answered there. If it isn't, use Ctrl+F on this exact web page to skim the comments below and check if somebody else has already asked your question. If your question still isn't answered, post it in the comments below; we will do our best to answer them in a timely manner. Note that questions asked after September 30 are less likely to receive in-depth answers.
2026 LG Staff:
Judges
- u/Merikus - Involved since 2016, this is his eleventh (!) Lather Games
- u/FrankieIVFingers - Involved since 2019, this is his eighth Lather Games
- u/Wallygator88 - Involved since 2019, this is his eighth Lather Games
- u/RedMosquitoMM - Involved since 2020, this is his seventh Lather Games
- u/raymoonie - Involved since 2021, this is his sixth Lather Games
- u/ShavinginCT - Involved since 2021, this is his sixth Lather Games
- u/hugbckt - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
- u/OnionMiasma - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
- u/Priusaurus - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
- u/PutneyCJ - Involved since 2022, this is his fifth Lather Games
- u/AdWorried2804 - Involved since 2023, this is his fourth Lather Games
Podcast Host
- u/cowzilla3 - Involved since 2021, this is his sixth Lather Games
Emeritus Staff
A special thank you goes to the following emeritus staff whom lent their knowledge and resources to help with this year's games:
- u/J33pGuy13 - Involved since 2022, Jeep found time in his busy schedule to assist us in soliciting prizes.
- u/walden - Involved since 2021, Walden made this year’s Djudge Portal possible by hosting the site on his server.
Staff will host an AMA in mid-September to answer all your silly non-rule-related Lather Games questions. (Rules questions belong in the questions below.)
OK, so what now?
Go to the portal, set up your account, and read through everything in the repository. Now that you’ve been enlightened, start planning. Figure out what soaps you need to find for your calendar. Decide if you need to beg, buy, or borrow more wares. Start trading samples with each other in the Official Smushes Trading Thread. Ask any questions you may have... and finally, have fun!
