Meet the man behind Mr. Gay Sweden's new era.
Haris Eloy didn't wait for the competition to return. He went to Europe, won a title, and brought the spark home. Now he's running the show.
Some people wait for the door to open. Haris Eloy built a new one.
When the Mr. Gay Sweden national competition went on pause, there was no crowning ceremony and no national stage. What there was, was a man who had spent years doing the unglamorous work of making life better for queer young people, and who decided Sweden still deserved representation. He went to Amsterdam. He competed at Mr. Gay Europe. He won the Photogenic Award, collected it from Vanessa Van Cartier (the winner of Drag Race Holland season 2), and came home with a Swedish title earned the hard way: on a European stage, representing a country whose competition had gone silent.
The spark came back to Sweden because he carried it.
The Reign
The title came with a responsibility he took seriously.
Over his reign, Eloy showed up. Pride events across Sweden. Conversations with organisers and strangers who approached him because the title meant something to them. He met people whose names he still remembers, and heard stories that reinforced what he already knew: visibility is not decoration. For a lot of people, seeing someone like them stand up and be counted changes something.
"We bring love, uniqueness, and a fierce desire to stand on our own."
That conviction travelled into every room he walked into as Mr. Gay Sweden.
Amsterdam
Mr. Gay Europe in Amsterdam was, as Eloy puts it, "visibility with purpose." A competition, yes. Also a gathering of people who understand that being on a stage in a sash is a political act in most of the world, whether the audience clocks it as one or not.
He competed with stylist Peter Englund and a team behind him, and formed friendships with contestants who took the platform as seriously as he did. When the Photogenic Award was announced, with Vanessa Van Cartier (the winner of Drag Race Holland season 2) doing the honours, he didn't reach for words that would match the magnitude.
"All I remember is that I was happy."
Earned, and his.
To the Future Candidates
If you're thinking about putting yourself forward for Mr. Gay Sweden, Eloy has something to say, and he isn't going to dress it up.
It's harder than it looks. The title is visible. The work behind it is not. You will show up tired. You will represent in rooms where you don't feel represented yourself. You will be asked to be articulate, composed and photogenic, often on the same afternoon.
And it is worth it.
"For the new misters stepping into this, I am here to mentor and guide." That isn't a formality. Eloy has done the European stage, done the reign, and had the conversations. He knows what the role asks of you, and he's building a structure around it that takes that seriously.
Come with purpose. The rest, you'll figure out.
The New Era
Eloy has signed as Executive Producer of Mr. Gay Sweden, working alongside N.K., who leads sponsor relationships and competition logistics. Together, they're building something Sweden's LGBTQI community deserves: a show with care at its centre, and community involvement in how it takes shape.
Mr. Gay Sweden is back. The national stage is returning, and the person running it didn't wait around for permission to love this community out loud.
The new era is already underway. You're reading the beginning of it.