Page 2 / News, Trends, Gossip and Stuff To Do : Lifestyle : The Beauty of a Truly Ugly Sofa

The competition was heated, with strong showings made by a plastic-coated brown plaid and a red-and-white floral velour. Yes, they were ugly, but not ugly enough. Elizabeth O’Bryan’s orange-yellow-and-black ‘70s swirl sofa won this year’s Ugly Couch Contest sponsored by Sure Fit Inc., the slipcover company based in Allentown, Pa.

The fifth annual contest garnered 2,204 entries, the most yet, said a spokeswoman. Contestants offered a number of explanations: Our children were conceived on this couch. . . . It fits perfectly in this large spot. . . . I couldn’t get Goodwill to take it and I didn’t have the nerve to put it out on the curb.

Winner O’Bryan of Woodbury, Conn., who rarely enters contests but knew she had a chance in this one, said her daughter was mortified at the notoriety, but that her son was pleased and “wants to keep the couch as a collector’s item.”

The first prize was $5,000, for the winner to buy a new couch and also a Sure Fit slipcover. Sure Fit, founded in 1914, created the contest in 1995. See the winning entry and past winners online at https://www.surefit.com.