On April 26, 2025, the Annual European Gull Scream Championship kicked off its 5th year of screeching, tweeting, and squawking to raise awareness for gull conservation worldwide. While the competition itself was a colorful celebration of wildlife, online viewers particularly appreciated the bizarre yet wholesome culture of the competition’s excited participants.
May the best seagull screech win
The 5th Annual European Gull Scream Championship was held at café De Verloren Gernoare in the small Belgian coastal town of De Panne.
An impressive 60 participants from 14 countries competed in three categories: individual, juniors (participants 16 years old or younger) or colony (a group entry). Contestants screeched and squawked their best gull imitations to a jury, who was awarding points based on sound and performance.
Though the participants were judged on their gull imitation, many leaned into costuming and performance. They donned artful costumes. masks, face paint, faux feathers, and claws, leaning into a seagull’s innate mannerisms. One participant enacted her own gull impression by dramatically pecking a bag of chips between sounds, to huge applause.
@reuters Contestants vying to be the best seagull imitators faced off against each other in the Belgian coastal town of De Panne on April 27, in the fifth edition of the European seagull screeching championship. #seagull #gull #belgium #championship #bird #screeching ♬ original sound – Reuters
Squawking for a cause
While the competition was lighthearted, there was more to this bizarre event than met the eye. The Annual European Gull Scream Championship’s mission was to raise awareness for research and conservation efforts surrounding the gull population.
Started by comedian Claude Willaert, the contest partnered with organizations working to help change the narrative around these misunderstood birds. With losses of nesting areas and food caused by human development, the gull population is, in fact, declining worldwide, despite gulls being perceived as somewhat of a coastal “nuisance.”
“Some people hate them,” said Jen Seys, president of the jury and spokesperson for the Flanders Marine Institute. “But they are an essential part of the sea coast, and their sounds, their calls and their acrobatic behavior, it’s just part of the sea coast.”
She adds, “we need some more sympathy for the seagulls.”
Who won the seagull competition?
Wearing white and yellow face paint, feather boa, and winged cape, Danish contestant Anna Brynald took home the win in the competition’s adult category. But more than the win, she says, was finding a community of like-minded people.
“It was so refreshing to meet so many people that just like seagulls, like me,” Brynald said in an interview with CBC. “I like that the seagulls like fries, because I love fries, and they’re just a bit misunderstood, like me. And they’re cute.”
Brynald also talked about the road to her win. She said she prepared for the competition by practicing at the beach, perhaps to her most critical audience. “I screeched at them, but they became scared of me,” she said. “Maybe I’m saying something wrong in seagull language. I don’t know.”
For the second year in a row, 10-year-old English participant Cooper Wallace won the junior category. An Italian group called Partisan Seagulls won the colony category.
@itvnews Cooper Wallace,10, won junior gold at the unusual competition in Belgium, where he was up against 21 other contenders, including his little sister Shelby, who came fourth. #itvnews #seagull ♬ original sound – itvnews
‘God forbid a human cosplaying as a seagull try to catch a vibe’
As videos began posting online, viewers were struck by how excited participants competed, committing not only to the sounds, but also behavior and aesthetics of seagulls.
Though some comments ridiculed the participants, most comments enjoyed their passion and commitment. “The seagulls have no idea our species is doing this,” one comment read. “This is so whimsical and fun to watch, another comment read. “God forbid a human cosplaying as a seagull try to catch a vibe,” a third comment asserted.
The moral of this seagull saga
According to Susan Krauss Whitbourne, PhD, in her article, “Is it Time to Add Some Silliness Back Into Your Life?” Lighthearted contests and competitions like European Gull Scream Championship that promote silliness and fun are good for one’s health. “Having fun isn’t just pleasurable, it’s also beneficial to the development of your personality and sense of well-being,” she said.
And that’s exactly how Brynald won the competition, she said. After losing her best friend two and a half years ago, Brynald learned a hard lesson about prioritizing fun and silliness. “I can do literally everything I want,” she said. “I can make seagull sounds, because I don’t care. I [might not be] here tomorrow. I just want to do what’s fun and not think about what other people think about me.”
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