It's that time of year again when dogs with unusually large heads, hairless bodies and other oddities compete to be the World's Ugliest Dog. This year's winner? A 2-year-old mutt named Peanut, whose wild white and brown hair, bulging eyes and protruding teeth belie his sweet, energetic personality. Peanut's owner, Holly Chandler of Greenville, North Carolina, says he was seriously burned as a puppy and she wants to use her pet to raise awareness about animal abuse. She plans to use the $1,500 prize to pay for other animals' veterinary bills. The contest, held at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, California, is in its 26 year. The dogs are scored by a three-judge panel in several categories, including special or unusual attributes, personality and natural ugliness.

Kumari Samita Bajracharya sits in front of devotees offers during a special puja at Kumari Ghar in Patan, Nepal, 09 April 2011. It is believed that worshipping Kumari and receiving tika from her reduces illness and avoid problems. Kumari, or Kumari Devi, is a “living goddess”. The word literally means virgin in Nepali. The Living Goddesses are young pre-pubescent girls that are considered to be incarnations of the Hindu Goddess of Power, Kali. The Kumari retires when she reaches puberty. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

Soniya, 6, whose family moved to Islamabad from Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province to look for work, stands outside their house on the outskirts of Islamabad January 1, 2015. (Photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

A house that was slammed off its foundation by Hurricane Isabel sits precariously on the beach one month after it hit Rodanthe, North Carolina October 18, 2003. (Photo by Rick Wilking/Reuters)

Ultra-Orthodox Jews knead dough in a bakery in an Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem, 29 March 2015. Matzah, or unleavened bread, is used instead of bread during the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover, commemorating the Jewish exodus from Egypt in Biblical times. (Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA)

Beautiful red sunset sky over Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and a popular tourist destination. It is also a major European financial (fund management) centre. Prominent buildings from left to right are: Edinburgh Castle, The Balmoral Hotel Clock Tower and The Scott Monument. (Photo by John Lawson/Getty Images)

People line up to pay inside a Makro supermarket in Caracas, January 9, 2015. Venezuela's socialist government decreed an “economic emergency” on Friday that will expand its powers and published the first data in a year that shows the depth of a recession fueled by low oil prices and a sputtering state-led model. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

U.S. singer Katy Perry slips on the icing of a giant cake that she had jumped onto as part of her performance at the MTV Latin America Awards in Guadalajara, in this October 16, 2008 file photo. (Photo by Daniel Aguilar/Reuters)