Overview

• Hundreds gathered at Alamo Square Park on Aug. 22 as James Arthur Bennett V was crowned winner in a crowded contest that drew more than 1,000 RSVPs.
• The organizers confirmed a preliminary judging round used a custom model at performative.lol to score aesthetic signifiers such as matcha, Labubu toys and feminist literature before narrowing to a top 26 and then 10.
• The event was assembled in just over a week via Partiful by a group led by Kake Jin, operated on roughly a $2,000 budget and featured micro-sponsorships from Dex by Thirdlayer, AI Valley, Ditto AI and Kiss of Matcha.
• Turnout forced an earlier start and caused QR-code entry snags, yet the spectacle played well with onlookers, with gift cards distributed and a small trophy awarded to the winner.
• Bennett said he would donate any cash prize to women’s shelters and Gaza, and the park pageant was framed as part of a broader, mostly playful Gen Z trend that has staged similar contests from Seattle to Los Angeles.