This lawn has been named the ugliest in the world

By Lianne Kolirin | CNN

A brown and arid scrubland of a lawn is not something many gardeners would brag about.

But that is exactly the kind of yard competition organizers in Sweden were looking for when they launched the prize for the “World’s Ugliest Lawn.”

People from around the world were invited to post pictures of their dehydrated grass to social media in a bid to scoop the dubious accolade.

The intention, according to those behind the project, was to raise awareness of “saving water on a global scale by changing the norm for green lawns.”

The competition was launched in collaboration with Hollywood actress and environmentalist Shailene Woodley, who called the contest “an excellent way to influence people to use less water.”

Lawns, which can require large amounts of water to maintain, are coming under increasing scrutiny as climate change makes periods of drought more frequent and more intense.

The global initiative was launched on the official website for Gotland in Sweden. Explaining the rationale on its website, it said: “Huge amounts of water are used to water lawns for aesthetics. As the world gets warmer, water scarcity is a growing problem.”