DES MOINES (March 2, 2021) – The 42^nd Annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest® presented by Sammons Financial will be held Sunday, April 18, as a kickoff to the 111^th edition of the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom. So far, more than 90 English Bulldogs have registered from 12 states. Registration closes March 8.

In staying with decades of tradition, reigning Most Beautiful Bulldog, Hulk, will be on hand.  In 2020, the contest was held virtually with more than 16,000 people casting votes in the final round to decide the 2020 Most Beautiful Bulldog for the 41st running of the contest.

Last year's Beautiful Bulldog Contest Winner was decided virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hulk, a three-year-old Bulldog from Jewell, Iowa, took the crown and assumed his reign on National Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day, April 21, 2020.

Strict safety protocols will be in place for this year's return to a traditional format, and contest guidelines have also been modified. Typically, the contest involves 40 English Bulldogs; for this year's contest, only 20 Bulldogs will walk the pageant runway to compete for the title of Most Beautiful Bulldog. Those 20 contestants will be chosen by votes from Drake University students later this month.
 
"It's impossible to imagine the Drake Relays without the Beautiful Bulldog Contest," said Blake Boldon, the Franklin "Pitch" Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. "The campus, the Des Moines community, Drake alumni and many other people around the U.S. and world love this decades-old tradition. We are thrilled for the contest's return in April, and I personally can't wait to meet this year's field of competitors."
 
To register your English Bulldog for this year's Beautiful Bulldog Contest, visit www.drake.edu/beautifulbulldog and complete the registration process by March 8.
 
Some contest details, including any possible public attendance, are still being finalized. For updates, visit www.drake.edu/beautifulbulldog or www.facebook.com/beautifulbulldog.