Beard Season is here. Discover what it is all about.

Beard Season is here; along with Chivas Regal whiskies, finger food in the lobby of the funky QT Hotel in Canberra and a very important message. 

While the Beard Season ambassadors look disturbingly like hipster baristas, they have wisdom to impart. 

And with Sir Richard Branson now onboard with this uniquely Australian charity, you can expect to soon be hearing a lot more about Beard Season founder Jimmy Niggles, a Sydney advertising executive, and his band of merry bearded men. 

Melonama, or skin cancer, is one of the deadliest cancers in the world, killing over 46,000 people a year. One of those people was Wes Bonny, a close friend of Riggles, who lost his life to melanoma at the age of 26 - seven years ago. 

At Bonny's wake, Niggles and other friends decided to do something to encourage men to have more regular skin checks - a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to early detection, and treatment, of melanoma. 

That project became Beard Season - a non-profit charity responsible for a global movement made up of tens of thousands of hirsute hero ambassadors who are helping spread the message. 

The phenomenon of facial fuzz has enjoyed a distinct renaissance over the past decade. From the bearded lady to bushy hipsters, a series of photographic works of people sporting impressive and interesting facial hair is on display at QT Canberra.

The photographs featured in the QT exhibition were taken by award-winning photographer Brock Elbank, and include actor John Hurt (above).

Niggles says: "Everyone says they want to get a skin check but never get around to it, so we thought if we can convince someone to make the commitment to grow a beard - we can convince them to get a check.

"The most at risk are blokes, aged 18-45. The same people we want to take part. Now, we have tens of thousands of ambassadors all over the world."

For more information on QT Canberra, visit www.qthotelsandresorts.com/canberra/ 

For information on Beard Season, go to www.beardseason.