STORY: Crooked smiles, sparse hair and lolling tongues took centre stage on Friday (August 14) as contestants gathered at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California for the 50th anniversary of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest.

A competition that celebrates the idea that beauty comes in all forms, the event advocates pet adoption and highlights dogs whose uniqueness has helped them find devoted homes.

Many contestants arrived with stories of resilience.

Linda Elmquist entered her dog Scooter — an 11-year-old Chinese Crested and former champion — in the contest. Born with his hind legs facing backwards, Scooter gets around by scooting rather than walking, a quirk that inspired his fitting name.

"I think some dogs are born and put on this earth to teach people things," Elmquist said. "He teaches people about compassion and about patience and about tolerance."

Two of the winners were first time contestants, including Laura Brown's 11-year-old Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix, Pinky, who earned second place.

"If we won, we would just want to speak for those rescue dogs," said Brown, who volunteers with a foster organisation and regularly takes dogs on hikes.

Third place went to Otto, a two-year-old Chihuahua mix born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. His owner, Melinda Berry, said the dog survived against the odds. "He's a fighter. He's a champion," Berry said.

What began as a quirky county fair attraction has grown into an internationally recognised event that champions rescue dogs.

Marcelina Kasprusz traveled abroad for the first time to compete in the event with Clara, her 12-year-old Chinese Crested. Kasprusz and her husband made the trip from Bytom, Poland, as part of their honeymoon and used the opportunity to promote adopting dogs with defects.

"Our dogs maybe not perfect,” Kasprusz said. “But they give you a lot of love."

A six-year-old pug adorned in pearls named Jinny Lu, who was competing for the fourth time, earned the top spot in the contest.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 14, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. CHRISTOPHER WONDER HOLDING HIS SHIVERING DOG NAMED LITTLE PRINCE

2. PUG IN PEARLS NAMED JINNY LU

3. CANINE CONTESTANT SITTING IN HIS OWNER’S LAP

4. VARIOUS OF UGLIEST DOG CONTEST FLOAT

5. ATTENDEE TAKING PICTURES

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALEXIS SHEFFIELD, 29, ATTENDEE FROM BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA, ON WHY PEOPLE LOVE THE CONTEST:

“That is a really funny question. I think that those of us, especially that have pugs, we know that they're so ugly, they're cute. So I think it just goes back to that phrase where they're so ugly it turns adorable again. I don't have experience as much with the hairless dogs, but those ones I think are ugly. I do think they are ugly. But the pugs are so ugly. They're cute. So, you know, it's all in good fun, though. It's light-hearted at the end of the day. So I think that's why we're all attending. We love dogs and they're cute no matter what, you know?”

7. CHINESE CRESTED NAMED SCOOTER RESTING ON A PICNIC TABLE

8. SCOOTER’S HIND LEGS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LINDA ELMQUIST, 75, TUCSON, ARIZONA RESIDENT AND OWNER OF 11-YEAR-OLD CHINESE CRESTED NAMED SCOOTER, SAYING:

“He's... I've had him for four years. And I'll tell you what. I think this dog is really special. I think some dogs are born and put on this earth to teach people things. And I think that Scooter is one of those teachers. He teaches people about compassion and about patience and about tolerance.”

10. CHIHUAHA-MIX NAMED PINKY LOOKING AT CAMERA

11. PINKY WITH HIS OWNER, LAURA BROWN, BEING PRESENTED WITH SECOND PLACE

12. THREE WINNERS POSING FOR PHOTOS

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LAURA BROWN, 35, REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT AND OWNER OF 11-YEAR-OLD POMERANIAN CHIHUAHUA NAMED PINKY, SAYING:

“So we just wanted to see how he would do. And it's such a great competition that advocates for rescue, rescuing and adopting dogs. So yeah, if we won, we would just want to speak for those rescue dogs. I volunteer with a foster organisation, and I take the dogs on hikes and Pinky likes to come with us. And it's just so fun. And, yeah, he is my baby, but he is very unique.”

14. CONTESTANT ON STAGE IN FRONT OF JUDGES

15. NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT GADI SCHWARTZ JUDGING A CONTESTANT

16. CONTESTANTS WAITING TO GO ON STAGE

17. DOG ON STAGE STANDING

18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MELINDA BERRY, 56, BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA RESIDENT AND OWNER OF 2-YEAR-OLD CHIHUAHA MIX NAMED OTTO, SAYING:

“Honestly, we thought Otto had a good chance of placing, He does have a very different look to him. You don't see this kind of dog very often. People born, dogs born with this condition, the bilateral cleft lip and the cleft palate, they rarely survive. He had to be, he brought in, was brought into rescue at ten days old. Failure to thrive. He couldn't suckle. So, he had to be tube fed every two hours. But he's a, he's a fighter. He's a champion. He had a sister that came in to rescue the same time she did not make it. They typically don't. He's a survivor. He beats, he beat the odds.”

19. MELINDA HOLDING OTTO

20. SCHWARTZ SPEAKING TO MELINDA AND OTTO ONSTAGE

21. MELINDA AND OTTO POSING FOR PHOTOS

22. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARCELINA KASPRUSZ, OWNER OF 12-YEAR-OLD CHINESE CRESTED NAMED CLARA, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO ADOPT DOGS:

“Adopt do not shop all over the world. Our dogs maybe not perfect. Maybe old ones. Maybe sick ones. But they give you a lot of love.”

23. CLARA RESTING IN A POUCH

24. SCHWARTZ ANNOUNCING FIRST PLACE WINNER

25. FIRST PLACE WINNER, JINNY LU

26. VARIOUS OF THE CROWD WATCHING CONTEST