Berkeley Engineer Is a Finalist in PETA’s ‘Sexiest Vegan’ Contest

Wilson Wong Battles It Out to Take Top Honors—and a Tropical Vacation

For Immediate Release:
May 8, 2018

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

PETA is preparing to crown this year’s “Sexiest Vegan Next Door“—and one Silicon Valley engineer is vying for the title. Wilson Wong beat out hundreds of other entrants from across the nation to advance to the final round of 10 male and 10 female contestants. Visitors to PETA.org can help PETA select the winners—one man and one woman—who will each receive a free vacation for two to Maui, Hawaii, courtesy of Humane Travel.

Wong went vegan eight years ago, after learning about animal rights theory in a college philosophy class. Since then, he’s volunteered for numerous animal rights organizations and encouraged his colleagues at a 3-dimensional printing start-up, where he’s a materials engineer, to follow his lead: He’s given his coworkers a first-person look at the meat industry using virtual reality headsets, prompted the company to change its lunch menu from zero to 70 percent vegan, and persuaded it not to use cruel glue traps, among other efforts. He shares his home with several adopted animals and has rescued others from roadside accidents—and as a fitness enthusiast, Wong says that going vegan helped him go from “the stereotypical high school nerd that was ranked in the bottom bracket at PE” to someone who lifts weights five days a week and runs a 6-minute mile. When he’s not at work, he regularly leads protests and creates graphic-design and guerilla artwork for animal rights issues.

“Whether he’s stopping to help an opossum on the side of the road or inspiring his Silicon Valley colleagues to give vegan meals a try, Wilson Wong never stops advocating for animals,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “All the finalists in PETA’s Sexiest Vegan contest prove that a clear conscience and a compassionate heart are the secret ingredients to sexiness.”

Voting to help PETA determine which finalists it should select as the winners ends at 12 noon EDT on May 14. PETA will select the winners based on several factors, including vote count. See the full contest details here. Winners will be notified and announced on May 21.

For more information and to cast your vote, please click here.