Celebrity lookalike contests are popping up everywhere, and the stars are joining in

From Timothee Chalamet to Glen Powell, famous faces are raising the stakes and earning stamps of approval

Shiv Patel celebrates after winning a Zayn Malik lookalike contest in Brooklyn, New York. EPA

For as long as celebrities have existed, so have lookalike contests. It used to be traditional for the winner to take home a keepsake trophy, but the stakes are being raised these days – by the celebrities themselves.

Earlier this week, Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters star Glen Powell offered the winner of his lookalike contest one of the biggest prizes ever heard of in such a competition: a cameo role for a family member in his next film.

Held in his home city of Austin, Texas, the event, judged by Powell's mother and aunt, drew hundreds to Auditorium Shores, competing for a $5 prize, a cowboy hat and a free cheese dip at a local restaurant, according to Fox 7 Austin. While Powell himself was not in attendance, he sent a video announcing his offer.

“I know there is some cash and a hat at stake here, but I just wanted to say that the winner of today’s contest gets a personal prize from me,” he said. “Now, you may know that my parents make a cameo in every movie I make, but today, the winner of the Glen Powell lookalike contest wins their parents or any family member of their choice, a cameo in my next movie. I am completely serious. This is a cash-value prize of $6 billion.”

The winner of the competition was Maxwell Braunstein, who works as a physician's assistant. He told Fox he was not totally surprised by the result as he’s heard the comparison to Powell before. “My face hasn't hurt like this since I was ten and at Disney World,” he said, following his win.

From New York to London, celebrity lookalike contests are popping up everywhere. With the stars themselves joining in on the fun, there's now more to life than just looking like a famous person, it seems.

A day before the Powell event, British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay surprised the winner of his lookalike contest with a signed frying pan at an event in Los Angeles.

In October, authorities had to shut down a Timothee Chalamet lookalike competition in New York City after the star himself turned up to the event, causing a “pandemonium”, according to NBC news, which said attendees numbered in their thousands. Associated Press reported that police fined organisers $500 for an “unpermitted costume contest” and one lookalike appeared to be arrested and dragged out in handcuffs.

After the competition moved to another park, each contestant was introduced and rated by the crowd on his Chalametness. The final four contestants were asked about their French-speaking skills, as Chalamet has French roots, as well as their romantic intentions with reality star and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner, who is rumoured to be Chalamet’s girlfriend, according to Associated Press.

The eventual winner was Miles Mitchell, 21, who came dressed in a purple Willy Wonka outfit, a nod to Chalamet's movie and character. “I’m excited and I’m also overwhelmed. There were so many good lookalikes. It was really a toss-up,” said Mitchell, who was named “Best Tim” and took home $50 in prize money.

While attendees weren't as lucky to be graced by the star, a Zayn Malik lookalike competition in Brooklyn, New York, also attracted hundreds of fans. Shiv Patel from Queens won the competition, organised by fans of the British singer. “I feel so good right now,” he told Brooklyn Magazine as he posed for pictures. “This was the ego boost I did not need!”

And there's been many more over the past few months, including one for Jeremy Allen White lookalikes in Chicago where many contestants, including one toddler, came dressed as White's Emmy-winning role in hit show The Bear.

The winner, Ben Shabad, 37, was picked based on levels of applause and also won $50. “I didn’t really plan on winning – especially when I saw all these guys that looked like Jeremy Allen White – but the energy here is so exciting,” Shabad told the Chicago Tribune. A similar competition dedicated to White was also held in New York.

In London, a crowd of 500 recently cheered on 13 contestants who were vying to be best dupes for singer Harry Styles. The winner Oscar Journeaux, 22, is also a singer and guitar player and walked home with £50, according to The Guardian. The competition also awarded the “Worst Harry” prize to a contestant who came holding a kilo of sugar and one small watermelon, a nod to Styles' hit song Watermelon Sugar.