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Weed-Infested Winner Of SF's 'Ugliest Yard Contest' Wins Drought-Friendly Makeover

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Pageants and prizes aren't always for the 'loveliest of them all.'

San Francisco has awarded a prize to a home in the city's Sunset District for having the 'Ugliest Yard,' and threw a block party on Saturday to celebrate.

Out of nearly 80 entries from across the city, the weed infested yard near Moraga Street and 41st Avenue was declared the absolute worst.

ugliest yard
Weed-infested yard of the winner of SF's Ugliest Yard competition. (CBS)

But it won't be ugly for long. The title of 'Ugliest Yard' came with a prize of complimentary landscaping with native, drought resistant plants.

"I have to say I'm proud that the ugliest yard is from the Sunset District but it will soon become probably the best looking one in the city," said San Francisco Supervisor Katy Tang. "We want to make sure that even as we're trying to landscape and make our neighborhood more aesthetically pleasing, that we're doing so in a responsible way," said Tang.

The contest was San Francisco's way of driving home a message of habitat and water. Unlike the rest of the neighborhood, this new landscape will have a lot less concrete so water won't run off into the sewer system.

"We've been talking about busting up concrete, habitat and water conservation for a long time," said Peter Brastow of the city's Department of the Environment. "The more water we can keep in the ground rather than running into the combined sewer system is a huge part of saving power and saving water."

'San Francisco's Ugliest Yard' Competition, which took place in April and May, called upon San Francisco residents to enter with a photo of their ugly yard and a caption stating why it needs a makeover. The competition drew over 6,800 votes and brought the community together to save water, plant natives and revitalize urban ecology.

Other homeowners in the Sunset District can cash in. San Francisco will help them cover the cost of breaking up the concrete surrounding their homes.

In fact, cities across the Bay Area will help residents convert 'ugly' and even 'not so ugly' yards to more sustainable, drought-friendly landscaping.

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