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.

Model Natasha Poly poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the screening of the film “Carol” in competition at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, May 17, 2015. (Photo by Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

In this May 1, 2016 photo, a reluctant donkey is alternately pushed and pulled and enticed with carrots toward town hall in order to be dressed for the costume competition at the annual donkey festival in Otumba, Mexico state, Mexico. Otumba was an important donkey market during Spanish colonial times, standing at the crossroads of major roads leading to Mexico City, where the beasts pulled heavy loads and carried travelers. Today, however, farmers use tractors and pickup trucks, and the donkey population is in decline. (Photo by Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo)

A view shows “The Farnese Bridge”, a participatory monumental cardboard installation by French artist Olivier Grossetete, over the Tiber river in front of the Palazzo Farnese, the seat of the French embassy in Italy, during its inauguration in Rome on July 13, 2021. A French Embassy project, the Farnese bridge is the realization of the dream of Cardinal Farnese, who wished to build a bridge over the Tiber to connect Palazzo Farnese to the gardens of the Villa Farnesina. A project, at the time, entrusted to Michelangelo, but that remained unfinished. (Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP Photo)

Local residents receive food from federal authorities in Xalacahuantla, Mexico, on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Hundreds of communities in central and eastern Mexico were cut off by deadly landslides and flooding caused by torrential rains. (Photo by Alfredo Estrella/AFP Photo)

Emily Ratajkowski, left, a cast member in “We Are Your Friends”, walks the red carpet at the premiere of the film at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Thursday, August 20, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Photo)

An Indian villager tries to tame a bull during a traditional bull-taming festival called “Jallikattu”, in the village of Palamedu, near Madurai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Monday, January 15, 2018. Jallikattu involves releasing a bull into a crowd of people who attempt to grab it and ride it. (Photo by R. Parthibhan/AP Photo)

Motocross riders compete on the beach on October 15, 2023 in Weymouth, United Kingdom. The motocross event, which first came to the town in 1984, organised by Weymouth and Portland Lions Club in association with Purbeck Motocross Club, sees over 300 riders compete over a course along Weymouth beach. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)