Beautiful Bulldog Contest 2022: Bam Bam crowned top dog in Iowa pageant

DES MOINES, Iowa — A new winner has been crowned top dog in an annual pageant for “beautiful bulldogs.”

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According to the Des Moines Register, Bam Bam, of Champlin, Minnesota, bested 29 other English bulldogs Monday to win Drake University’s annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest. The honor means that the 5-year-old pooch will serve as the mascot of the 2022 Drake Relays track and field event, which concludes this weekend.

“Congratulations, Bam Bam!” the university tweeted of the costumed canine owned by Maggie Estby. “See you this weekend on the Blue Oval!”

Bam Bam takes over for 2021 champion Myrtle Mae, a rescue dog owned by Whitney Bogdanski of Des Moines, according to the university.

Two other dogs also took home awards at this year’s pageant. Second-place finisher Elwood, 10, received the Porterhouse People’s Choice Award, while Beverley Pancakes was named “best dressed” for her breakfast-inspired costume, the Register reported.

The contest has been held annually since 1979, according to the newspaper.

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Photos: 'Beautiful bulldogs' vie for crown in annual Drake Relays pageant Bam Bam, owned by Maggie Estby, of Champlin, Minn., sits on the throne after being crowned the winner of the annual Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog Contest, Monday, April 25, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. The pageant kicks off the Drake Relays festivities at Drake University where a bulldog is the mascot. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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