flying contest
become a birdman legend
Birdman has taken place on Ilfracombe pier for over 20 years. Thousands of people vie for a vantage point and cheer you on from all corners. The adrenalin of hurling yourself from the runway and attempting flight is unparalleled. Sign up to try and win the £5,000 grand prize!
Win £5,000!
Have you got what it takes to wow the crowds and take flight? If so, you could take home the coveted Birdman trophy and even a £5,000 cash prize!
Because of tide limitations, we can only accept 20 entries to this year's Birdman competition, so please complete your entry soon before places sell out.
The launch runway will be 8m wide x 14m long, giving you plenty of room for an impressive craft and even some shenanigans on the platform to entertain the crowds.
Prize categories
Make your entry as visual, funny and inventive as possible. A flying machine of some sort is mandatory, and other props/fancy dress also make for a fantastic Birdman entry.
EAGLE CLASS - £5,000 PRIZE
Awarded to any team who can fly over 50 metres! Go hard or go home!
DA VINCI CLASS - £250
Awarded to the team who flies the furthest (under 50m)
LEMMING CLASS - £250
For the team who produces the best overall jump, including the originality of your craft, your costumes, your performance on the runway and your entry into the water.
Raising money for good causes
Birdman is run by Ilfracombe Round Table, a registered charity supporting local worthy causes. The £20 per team registration fee just goes to help covering some of the costs involved in staging such a large scale event.
You are expected to raise sponsorship for taking part, and that is what will help local charities and worthy causes (needed now more than ever, after Covid). Raising sponsorship will be dead easy, because everyone you know will be mightily impressed that you're planning on flying off Ilfracombe pier!
So, click this link to set up a Just Giving page (choosing Ilfracombe Round Table as your charity), and share your page on Facebook, email, WhatsApp etc.
The funds you raise will help Ilfracombe Round Table to support various worthy causes and charities. You can even specify to organisers where you would like your sponsorship to go (if you have a favourite charity, for example). So this is your chance to support a cause close to your heart.
The boring bit…
By entering the Birdman Competition, you agree to the following statement: I enter this event at my own risk. I have read and agree to be bound by the rules of the Birdman Competition (stated below). I will not hold Ilfracombe Round Table or any sponsor responsible for any accident, injury, loss or damage to myself or my property arising from participation in this event. If my application is successful I will be responsible for arranging my own personal injury insurance. I understand that the event may be filmed and photographed by the media and personnel appointed by the organisers and sponsors. Footage and photographs will appear in the Press, on websites and may be transmitted on television. Any filming / photographs may be kept and used by the organisers and sponsors for promotional purposes. Details submitted to organisers will be retained on a database for this event and future events. If you do not want your details held on this database please notify the organisers in writing.
Rules of Competition:
Once the ‘flight’ is over your craft must be fully retrieved from the water. We have divers on hand to assist, but it is your team’s responsibility, so expect to get wet!
Teams have responsibly to remove the craft from the pier after recovery, leaving craft debris behind is a littering offence, which may be enforced by council reps on the day.
As the aircraft will ultimately end up in the water, the craft must not easily sink and be easily recoverable, made from environmentally friendly materials. The aircraft must not have any loose parts (besides the pilots)
In the event of more than one craft flying 50 metres, the longest distance will win
In the event of both distances being equal the team has raised the most sponsorship will win.
If you fly outside the course boundary this will invalidate your flight
Size of the craft is limited to 10m wingspan
The craft must be powered by muscle, gravity, hope and imagination.