Six outstanding candidates competed for the crown:

Scott Chan, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics [1]
Aristotle Garcia, Filipino-American Arts & Exposition [2]
Mike Liu, Spring Buds / California Dragon Boat Association [3]
Maurice Seaty, Southeast Asian Student Coalition [4]
Eric Tam, Asian American Donor Program [5]
Rockson Yan, API Legal Outreach Youth Program [6]

It was an adrenaline-driven evening, requiring each of the contestants to display every facet of his creativity and intelligence. At times, the cheering from enthusiastic fans was deafening, and it is certainly evident now, three years from the inception of the event: Mr. Hyphen is a title that is highly coveted and valued by the community.

Emcee Samantha Chanse [7] elevated the electrifying event with her witty delivery and charm. The event was judged by Vincent Pan (representing the CAA - Chinese for Affirmative Action [8]), Robin Sukhadia (representing Project Ahimsa) [9], and Louisa Liu, Miss Asian America 2008.

The primary criteria for winning the entire contest hinged upon each contestant's ability to connect his inspiring activism and talent to his personality. Each candidate proved that Asian American men today are making a huge difference in the community, and elevating the stature of Asian American men in the eyes of the mainstream in the process.

In the end, Aristotle's performance in the talent segment, his poise during the fashion and sleepwear segments, and his eloquence answering questions earned him the crown. Runner-up Maurice Seaty was a close second. Both candidates were highly effective in conveying their commitment to the causes they represent. Check out the pictures below; and more available here [10]!
[10]

Photos by Kaiser Hwang

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Robin Sukhadia
Mr. Hyphen 2006/2007