Shearing teams from across the world are being encouraged to apply for the 2023 Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing and Wool Handling Championships.

Taking place at the 2023 Royal Highland Show on 22-25 June 2023, the Golden Shears World Championship attracts shearers from over 30 countries across the globe.

The 2023 competition is sponsored by Lister Shearing, British Wool, Ulster Wool and Elanco.

The Golden Shears will take place over the four days, with competitors battling it out on a world stage – over 200,000 people from 82 countries tuned into the Royal Highland Show’s online viewing platform, RHS TV, in 2022.

Competitors from across the globe will be treated to a taste of Scottish hospitality with a gala dinner to open the competition, as well as having the opportunity to experience being part of the Royal Highland Show.

Applications for the Golden Shears 2023 can be made on the Royal Highland Show website and will close in early January 2023.

Jim Warnock, chair of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) said: “There is no better stage than the Royal Highland Show to celebrate the amazing skills of competitors at the Golden Shears.”

George Graham, chair of Golden Shears World Council, added: “The 2023 Golden Shears World Shearing and Wool Handling Championships will be a spectacular event, showcasing the skills of competitors from up to 40 countries.

“This is the Olympics of shearing and wool handling, with super athletes vying for the prestigious Golden Shears world teams and individual titles. Up to four and a half thousand sheep will lose their fleeces over the course of the event.”