Fuzhou, FUjian Province, China - Three thousand goldfish competed in an international beauty pageant in southeast China to win the title of the "World Goldfish Queen", state media reported on Saturday (September 15).

Contestants of the International Goldfish Championships, the first of its kind, were put on display in rows of bowls in Fuzhou, provincial capital of Fujian province from Thursday (September 13), state television CCTV showed.

They were brought to the competition from 14 countries including Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia, according to CCTV.

And it was not an easy competition to win.

"We judge goldfish mainly by five criteria: breed, body shape, swimming gesture, colour, which is very important, and overall impression," said Ye Qichang, a member of the judge panel.

Of all the candidates, a giant fish stood out with a weight of 1.75 kilograms (3.9 pounds) and grace.

Ye said it is very rare.

"I have been raising goldfish for some 40 or 50 years, and this one is the biggest I have ever seen," said Ye.

"Not all goldfish can grow this big. Many factors such as breed and breeding method may affect their size. A goldfish cannot grow into that size if it suffers any hardship or major illness during the breeding. So it is a very rare one," he added.

The winner will be announced later on Saturday, and all the beauty contestants will be exhibited at the Fuzhou Strait International Conference and Exhibition Center, said CCTV.

CCTV via CBS Newspath