Mr Ugly – the world's weirdest beauty pageant

Fancy being Mr Universe but think it looks like a bit too much work? You could always try your luck in a less demanding contest by competing for the title of Mr Ugly, Zimbabwe's most unusual "beauty" pageant.

Held in a nightclub in the capital city, Harare, and sponsored by local businesses, Mr Ugly Zimbabwe has been an institution since 2011 – and despite attracting some criticism, only seems to be increasing in popularity.

Just like a regular beauty pageant, Mr Ugly isn't all about looks – the champion has to impress the audience with his catwalk flair and show off his personality in a question-and-answer round.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Participants get token prizes of clothes or groceries, with cash prizes for the runners-up.

However, the lucky winner gets to walk away with the all-important Mr Ugly crown, as well as cash and other goodies.

A chance to be voted Zimbabwe's ugliest man might not seem like the most attractive prospect, but event organiser David Machowa says that, on the contrary, the contest has become so popular that this year preliminary rounds will be introduced to whittle down the large number of hopefuls. They'll have their work cut out to defeat reigning champion William Masvinu, a local market porter who has held the title since the contest started in 2011.

"My ugliness comes naturally to me," he boasted after defending his title in 2012. Masvinu even has a manager, who ascribes his client's success to his "choreography" and "funny clothing".

"We are looking for natural ugliness," Machowa told Associated Press. "People have always seen ugliness as something to be ashamed of," he said. "Looks are God given. We should all be proud of who we are."

Machowa plans to expand the Mr Ugly pageant to neighbouring countries – but there are no current plans to launch a Miss Ugly contest.