PETALUMA, California (REUTERS) - Scamp the Tramp has been judged to be the World's Ugliest Dog.

The old saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" was in full effect in the California town of Petaluma on Friday (June 21), with 19 ugly mutts going jowl-to-jowl for the title.

The winner was Scamp, who took home US$1,500 (S$2,000) in prize money, a trophy and the oppotunity to appear on NBC's Today show.

Many of the dogs have been rescued from shelters and puppy mills.

Last year's competition winner was an English bulldog named Zsa Zsa, who went on to make several appearances on US national television.