Rio carnival judges crown winner

Beija-Flor has repeatedly dominated the highly competitive carnival

Rio de Janeiro's carnival jury has named this year's winner while demoting another samba school after a dancer ended up naked.

Beija-Flor was crowned champion for the fifth time in six years with a parade dedicated to the Amazon state of Amapa, its legends and its native hummingbird.

Meanwhile, the Sao Clemente troupe was penalised for "exposed genitalia" after a dancer lost her G-string.

The carnival brought 700,000 visitors from around Brazil and further afield.

Beija-Flor and 12 other top samba clubs competed in the 70,000-seat Sambadrome during the carnival, which took place on Sunday and Monday.

A panel of 40 judges rate each group in 10 categories, ranging from costumes to overall enthusiasm.

Beija-Flor received a near-perfect score of 399.3 out of a possible 400.

Most of Rio watched the televised awards ceremony on Wednesday, a partial holiday in Brazil.

The carnival is usually accompanied by controversy and this year, a samba school was banned from parading with a float depicting victims of the Holocaust and a Hitler figure.

Unidos do Viradouro came seventh after changing the float into a free speech exhibit featuring gagged men and women in white robes.