Will Brian, Pesto or Barbie be crowned the world's best penguin?

Flippers at dawn! The competition to be the world's best penguin is TOUGH

If you're a fan of unusual animal competitions (we're looking at you Fat Bear Week!) then look no further.

March of the Penguin Madness (MOTPM) is taking place this month, and is an international celebration of our feathered friends organised by animal charity Penguins International.

Each year as part of the celebrations a competition called The Peng-Win Championships takes place, where penguins from zoos and wildlife parks around the world compete to be crowned the world's best penguin.

This year 48 penguins from 12 different species have been nominated by their keepers, where they'll battle it out online in a public vote, before the winner is announced on 18 April.

Floppy the Gentoo Penguin from Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, has one flipper, and is also in the running to be champion-penguin

Aside from the glory of winning, the victorious penguin will be immortalised in the Iceberg Hall of Heroes, earning the esteemed title of Global Penguin Ambassador, and may receive a crown and a fishy feast worthy of a global champion.

If a penguin is knocked out of the Peng-Win Championships they can still compete in the charity's other competition, the Species Spirit Awards, which aims to celebrate and recognise one of the world's 18 species of penguin.

Katie Propp, the Chief Operations Officer at Penguins International, said: "We want to highlight penguins in zoos and aquariums that serve as ambassadors to their species.

"Wild penguins continue to face numerous threats, as demonstrated by the uplisting of African Penguins from 'Endangered' to 'Critically Endangered' last October."

Meet the nominees

Seth, Squid, Ellis and Nelly are also representing the UK.

Of the 48 contestants, six are from the UK.

They include:

• Brian - a Gentoo Penguin from The Deep in Hull.

• Barbie - a Humboldt Penguin from Birdworld, in Surrey.

• Ellis - a Humboldt Penguin from ZSL London Zoo.

• Nelly - a Northern Rockhopper Penguin from Edinburgh Zoo, in Scotland.

• Seth - a King Penguin from Birdland, in England.

• Squid - an African penguin from Birdworld in Surrey.

However, the UK penguins will face tough competition from superstar Pesto, the King Penguin from SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, in Australia, who went viral last year for his large fluffy form.

Other competitors include Meatloaf the Little Penguin, from Birch Aquarium, in San Diego in the US, and Floppy the Gentoo Penguin from Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, in Pennsylvania in the US.