Three thousand goldfish from 14 countries have locked gills to compete in an international beauty pageant in China.

Contestants at the International Goldfish Championships, the first of its kind, were put on display in rows of bowls in Fuzhou, battling it out to win the title of the World Goldfish Queen.

"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, which Ye Qichang confirmed was very rare.