A New Zealand-based nonprofit announced the blobfish as the winner of its "Fish of the Year" vote, years after it was named the world's ugliest animal.

This sea creature may have just experienced the "ugly duckling" glowup of the fish world. Once dubbed the "world's ugliest animal," the blobfish – scientific name Psychrolutes marcidus – has been named New Zealand's Fish of the Year in a competition created by the conservation nonprofit Mountains to Sea.

New Zealand's Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust announced the Fish of the Year 2025 competition was won by the blobfish, a species once voted the "world's ugliest animal."