Rescued pug wins 50th World's Ugliest Dog Contest

A rescued pug from South Korea has won the 50th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma County Fair in California.

By Sama News Agency
August 31, 2026
A brown and white pug's face shown in close-up, with its mouth open and tongue out.
The winning pug displays the distinctive features that earned it the title of World's Ugliest Dog at the 50th annual competition held at the Sonoma County Fair. (Euronews)
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Jinny Lu, a rescued pug, has been crowned the winner of the 50th annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, California. The dog's owner, Michelle Grady, received a $5,000 prize. Jinny Lu was rescued from the mountains of South Korea before being adopted and brought to California.

An albino Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix named Pinky finished second, while Otto, a Chihuahua mix, came third and won $2,000. The contest aims to highlight the benefits of adopting rescue dogs.

Among this year's contestants was Clara, a 12-year-old Chinese Crested who travelled from Poland with her owner, Marcelina Kasprusz. Kasprusz said the prize money was not the main motivation for taking part, adding that if the contest encouraged even one person to adopt a shelter dog, they had already won.

Rescued pug wins 50th World's Ugliest Dog Contest | Sama News Agency