A beauty pageant in Chongqing has come under scrutiny after the beauty of the three winners failed to convince a large number of the public.

The three winners of the event were labeled by some micro bloggers as "far below the public's aesthetic benchmark," after their photos were posted on Weibo, China's Twitter-like micro-blogging service.

Runner-up Yang Anqi, left, winner Yan Meng and third-place winner Tao Yujie

One micro blogger who claimed to be a Chongqing native even said if this were the true level of beauty for Chongqing girls, they would feel ashamed to claim Chongqing as their hometown.

Some Internet users speculated that there must be some hidden rules in the competition.

One anonymous judge of the pageant reportedly admitted that they were under outside pressure and that the final results were not based on the judges' decisions.

Confronted with mounting criticisms, Lan Rong, executive chairwoman of the organizing committee, defended the event, saying the rules were fair and open and that outward appearance was not the only criterion in the competition. She also said the winners' looks were not so bad, the Chongqing Morning Post reported on Tusday.

"They are now representatives of Chongqing and are going to take part in the national competition," said Lan. Internet users don't get to decide who goes to the nationals, she added.

Also in doubt was the authority of the organizer – Lvxing Film Programs Production Ltd. The company is a subcontractor who reportedly paid 600,000 yuan ($94,151) to get the contract.

Lan confirmed that report and said the company spent millions more on the event.

Some also attributed the disappointing results to the inadequate public participation in the competition. Lan said that nearly 1,000 people registered for the event and only 50 were selected to move into the second round, with 30 excluded from the final round.

However, a judge said on the condition of anonymity that there were no more than 200 people registered.

Asked to release the list of judges, Lan refused at first, but then said it would be made public in the future.