An Aardvark is weighed by keeper Harry Maskell during a photo-call at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on August 23, 2022 in Dunstable, England. As part of their regular check-ups, 10,000 animals are having their vital statistics recorded as a way of keeping track of their health and well-being at the UK's largest Zoo. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

An young Indian Jain devotee dressed as Lord Krishna participates in a religious rally organised on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti in Kolkata on April 2, 2015. The most important religious holiday in Jainism, Mahavir Jayanti celebrates the birth of Mahavira, the last Tirthankara, which is generally accepted as 599 BCE. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

It's that time of year again when dogs with unusually large heads, hairless bodies and other oddities compete to be the World's Ugliest Dog. This year's winner? A 2-year-old mutt named Peanut, whose wild white and brown hair, bulging eyes and protruding teeth belie his sweet, energetic personality. Peanut's owner, Holly Chandler of Greenville, North Carolina, says he was seriously burned as a puppy and she wants to use her pet to raise awareness about animal abuse. She plans to use the $1,500 prize to pay for other animals' veterinary bills. The contest, held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California, is in its 26 year. The dogs are scored by a three-judge panel in several categories, including special or unusual attributes, personality and natural ugliness.

Local resident Rita holds a cat while her neighbour Raisa saws firewood next to their residential building heavily damaged by permanent Russian military strikes in the front line town of Avdiivka, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine on November 8, 2023. (Photo by Serhii Nuzhnenko/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Reuters)

A dog named Luna wears a dracula costume during a Halloween pet party at a mall in Valenzuela city, Philippines on Saturday, October 19, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

A hunter holds her tamed golden eagle during a traditional hunting contest near the village of Tole Bi in Almaty region, Kazakhstan on November 9, 2024. (Photo by Pavel Mikheyev/Reuters)

A pigeon sits on the cap of an Indonesian military personnel during a ceremony marking the country's 80th Independence Day, at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 17, 2025. (Photo by Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

Audrey Tautou poses at a photo call during The 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival at at Palais des Festivals on May 14, 2013 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP Photo)