IDUN Awards 2026 Votes | The Beard Struggle

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The IDUN Awards 2026 — the Brotherhood's own community awards. Five categories, decided by your votes, celebrating the strongest personalities, creators, and moments of the Brand Vikings community.

Dad Bod of the Year — your best photo of yourself, beard and all. No AI, no heavy edits — just you.
Model of the Year — your finest The Beard Struggle product or lifestyle shot, with TBS visible in frame.
Lifestyle of the Year — a photo plus the short story behind it, published alongside your entry.
Brother of the Year — nominate a brother who deserves it: who he is, why, and the moments that prove it.
Brotherhood Moment of the Year — the team's shortlist of the year's most unforgettable community moments.

How it works: enter while submissions are open — one entry per category, as many categories as you like. Every entry is reviewed by the team, then the community votes with one vote per member in each category. Winners are contacted privately before the announcement.

Fair play, Viking honor: heavily edited or AI-generated photos are rejected, finalists confirm permission before publication, and vote manipulation means disqualification.

3 votes per category

Rules

Nominate another Brand Viking — self-nominations are not accepted.
Include the nominee's name and a short explanation of why they deserve the award.
Give examples of how they supported, encouraged, welcomed, or helped others during the year.
Multiple nominations for the same person are combined, not counted separately.
The team selects a shortlist based on the strength of the nominations; the community votes for the winner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I nominate myself?

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No — this award is a nomination for someone else: a Brand Viking who supported, encouraged, welcomed, or helped others during the year.

What should my nomination include?

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The nominee's name and a short explanation of why they deserve the award, with examples of how they helped others this year and his Facebook link.

What if several people nominate the same person?

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Nominations for the same person are combined into one — they strengthen each other rather than compete.

How is the winner chosen?

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The team shortlists based on the strength of the nominations and the community votes. It's about impact, not popularity.

Sort by

Horatiu Crainic

38

Why do they deserve it?

He is more of a brother to me then my brothers by blood. He's always available to chat and has advice when you need it. He has jokes when you need those as well. Never ignores you no matter how annoying you are. Goes out of his way to help you out. Always checks in to make sure you're good if he hasn't heard from you in a day or 2.

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

Earlier this year I was going through some serious stress and just drowning in it from every direction, I pulled back from everyone and just kinda walked away from everything and to be perfectly honest suicide was on my mind. Mr Crainic was one of two people in my life who actually reached out and checked on me. When you're drowning in the darkness feeling alone it means a hell of a lot more then anything else to have someone message you and genuinely mean it when they ask how you are.

Fraser King

20

Why do they deserve it?

He is my brother from another mother. He was there for me everytime when i have questions or when i need someone to talk.

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

When i need someone to talk about private problems or have questions and need opinions he was there and helped me as good as he can.

Ryan Abrahams

11

Why do they deserve it?

Ryan is constantly seen welcoming new members and engaging with as many TBS events as he can. His FaceBook and Instagram presence is mostly fun and knowledgeable while showing his hobbies, whether it be riding his bike through the countryside or building up his home. He also constantly helps not just the beard brothers with some advice or being a sound board when needed, but has also been known to help neighbors in his own community when they need assistance. He has great hooks and a good sense of humor that is true to him and isn't just a facade he puts up

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

He hasbeen helping at least one of his neighbors by taking care of her pets while she was away on personal business, When some members of the Beard Struggle have been struggling with life, he offers help and a calming presence when he can by being a rock for everyone

Crainic

7

Why do they deserve it?

Crainic is always there to answer questions and be supportive. He acts like a real brother to us and just makes this community feel alive.

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

This year we had a guy join the Brand Vikings Facebook group and just completely shit on me. Went to my profile and took my photo cover of my daughter who didn't make it and used it against me in an argument. I went to Crainic and he helped me out and took care of the situation.

Jose M Feliciano

6

Why do they deserve it?

Jose is a class act who is always ready to support the brotherhood.

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

Always greets the new members. Shows up to support where he can. A solid brother to rely on.

Adam vikingsbarbu rouillard

3

Why do they deserve it?

Reached out to me this year after my house fire disaster and wanted to help in anyway he could

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

Wanted to donate to the fundraiser you did for me but was too late. Offered to purchase my products himself using his vikoins. Also offered his thoughts and prayers along with others

James Buongiovanni

3

Why do they deserve it?

He is a fellow marine corps veteran, friend and business partner. His support and trust in me to open and lead our own business making and serving mead at our mead hall is extraordinary. His dedication is faithful and unwavering.

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

In addition to supporting me and our business, he supports his mother and contributes a lot of time to her to repair her house and finish projects for her that she can't do on her own. He also returned to church restoring his faith and continued pursuit of being a better man

Ryan Abrahams

3

Why do they deserve it?

Always showing up on the WhatsApp group

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

Always giving us a laugh and shows.up every day on WhatsApp to say morning or to give us a good laugh

Ryan Abrahams

1

Why do they deserve it?

At the beginning of this year, I lost my job. Within a month, I had no money left to live on and no support to fall back on. I was completely broke and going through one of the hardest periods of my life.The two things that kept me going were my daughter and my gym membership, which thankfully had been paid for the whole year in advance. That gym membership may sound like a small thing, but during those difficult months, it gave me somewhere to go, something to focus on, and a reason to keep moving forward. For that, I’m truly grateful.What hurt the most was realizing how alone I felt. Out of the whole brotherhood, Ryan was the only person who reached out and simply asked me, “Are you okay?” That message meant more to me than he probably realized.For five long months, I struggled — mentally, emotionally, and financially. There were days when I honestly didn’t know how I was going to get through it.But I kept going.And after five months of fighting through everything, I finally found a job.It has taught me a lot about life, about people, and most importantly, about myself. Sometimes you discover who really cares about you when you have absolutely nothing to offer them.I’m grateful to finally be moving forward, and I’ll never forget the people who were there when I was at my lowest.THANKS FOR ASKING Ryan

Examples — how did they support, encourage or help others this year?

Whising to have a nice day