Camel Beauty Contest

The United Arab Emirates is hosting a large camel beauty pageant during the Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival 2008, to be held in Abu Dhabi from April 2 to April 10. The now-modernized region seeks to honor its nomadic Bedouin heritage, which relied heavily upon the camel for both transportation and food production. The festival will be held in remembrance, and revolves around the camel beauty pageant, which has attracted a reported 10,000 camels from across the UAE. An expert panel of judges will single out the prize-winning camels based on features such as the size of eyes and lashes, shape and placement of the hump, and the neck length, among other standards.

Fast Facts:

Prizes include 100 SUVs and a total of 35 million UAE Dirhams ($9.5 million USD)
Camels arriving from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia
They will be divided between dark- and light-skinned, and then classified by age group
Is reportedly the largest camel pageant in the entirety of the Middle East
Festival is overseen by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
Will be held in Zayed City, in the Western Province
Festival will also honor Bedouin heritage with traditional poetry, music, and craft exhibitions