NYC Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest draws 20 finalists, police - and the real one

YouTube creator Anthony Po staged what became the flagship of a new celebrity-lookalike contest wave: flyers across Greenwich Village, no permit, a giant novelty cheque, and a public park as the venue.

Paper Greenwich Village with flyers for a tiny-prize Chalamet lookalike contest - a premise so absurd and shareable that the crowd becomes the story.

Around 20 finalists in Wonka and Dune costumes faced off at Washington Square Park before a large spectator crowd. Police dispersed the unpermitted gathering and fined organizers US$500; Chalamet himself, in a mask and cap, sneaked in and posed with the contestants.

Staten Island's Miles Mitchell, 21, won a US$50 cheque made out to 'Best Tim'. Clips went global, lookalike contests spread to Dublin (Paul Mescal) and London (Harry Styles) within two weeks, and the format won the 2026 Webby People's Voice for Most Viral.

In October 2024, flyers plastered across Greenwich Village promised a Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest at Washington Square Park. The event was dreamed up and staged by YouTube creator Anthony Po, with no permit and a giant novelty cheque as the prize. Around 20 young men in Wonka velvet and Dune stillsuits gathered alongside a large crowd of spectators.

NYPD moved in, citing the unpermitted costume contest: the crowd was dispersed, at least one contestant was led away, and organizers were fined US$500. The contest relocated to a playground and finished anyway. Then the story broke open - Chalamet, hidden behind a mask and baseball cap, crept into the crowd and posed for photos with his own doppelgangers, delighting everyone who realized the real one was there.

Willy Wonka wannabe Miles Mitchell, a 21-year-old from Staten Island, was declared the winner, receiving a Publisher's Clearing House-sized US$50 cheque made out to 'Best Tim'. The internet did the rest: within two weeks, fans staged lookalike contests for Paul Mescal in Dublin and Harry Styles in London's Soho Square, explicitly hoping to recreate the viral Chalamet event. Drake later surprised his hometown contest's winner with an added US$10,000 prize.

The premise was absurdly specific - a tiny-prize contest for one actor's face - which made it irresistible to share and easy to parody.

Staging it in a public park meant no venue, no gate, and a crowd large enough that the city itself had to react.

The star showing up in disguise converted a fan stunt into a story no PR budget could buy.

The police response and US$500 fine became free publicity; conflict is distribution for events like this.

A cheap, hyper-specific absurd premise can beat any media budget: give fans a stage and a small prize, and the spectacle - police, even the star sneaking in - makes itself. Conflict is distribution.

Chalamet later met Mitchell at a film screening, telling him 'Life is not real'. Mitchell's Chalamet-inspired haircut video had already topped 1.2 million views, and the contest made him a minor celebrity in his own right. Copycat contests for Paul Mescal, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and others ran through late 2024, with Drake adding a surprise US$10,000 to his hometown contest's prize. In April 2026 the format took the Webby People's Voice Award for Most Viral at the 30th annual Webby Awards.