Rescued pug Jinny Lu crowned World's Ugliest Dog 2026 in California, wins $5,000

A pug takes the crown

A pug named Jinny Lu won the 2026 World's Ugliest Dog contest, held on Friday evening local time at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, northern California. Her lopsided tongue, bulging eyes, and facial wrinkles convinced the jury to award her the top prize of $5,000. Owner Michelle Grady, who runs the Pug Hotel in Rohnert Park, a sanctuary for old and traumatised pugs, received the cheque on stage. Jinny Lu had placed second in the same contest the previous year and improved to first this time around.

From a wooden crate in South Korea to a California stage

According to the organisers, Jinny Lu was discovered during frost in a wooden crate in the mountains of South Korea, reportedly destined for slaughter. Activists from the organisation Pug Rescue of Korea brought her to the United States. She now lives at the Pug Hotel in Rohnert Park, which Grady operates as a refuge for ageing and traumatised pugs. The contest, running for nearly 50 years, carries the motto "Advocate, Adopt, Adore" and aims to showcase the lovable qualities of dogs many would overlook. Most participants come from animal shelters, and the event encourages adoption of abandoned animals.

Runner-ups Pinky and Otto

Second place and $3,000 went to Pinky, a 10-year-old albino Chihuahua and miniature spitz mix with oversized pink ears, a pink nose, and watery blue eyes. Pinky previously suffered from a skin condition while in a shelter and was entering the contest for the first time. Third place and $2,000 went to Otto, a 2-year-old Chihuahua mix from Oklahoma born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, whose crooked grin won over the judges.

Other contestants and judging

The field included a French bulldog with a pronounced underbite, a Chinese crested with a crooked tongue and bent hind legs, a nearly hairless dachshund mix, and Klara, a dog that travelled from Poland with scruffy fur and a crooked head. Dogs paraded on a stage before applauding spectators, and a panel of judges voted based on appearance, personality, and audience reaction. The winner also receives a flight to New York, where Jinny Lu will be presented on NBC's morning show.

What California celebrates, Germany prohibits

The Berliner Zeitung noted a contrast the contest does not address: Otto's cleft palate and Pinky's albinism are natural accidents, but Jinny Lu's flat face is the pug breed standard. The German Federal Chamber of Veterinarians describes brachycephalic breeds as suffering from narrowed airways, breathing difficulties even at rest, impaired heat regulation, and dental misalignment. The breeding of such animals has been prohibited in Germany since 1986 under section 11b of the Tierschutzgesetz, the animal welfare law.