The Carbuncles, which launched at the turn of the millennium, have been synonymous in recent years with places such as Cumbernauld, Linwood, and Coatbridge, all recipients of its so-called Plook on the Plinth gong.

The awards were envisioned as a way for the public to vent its spleen at architectural bungles and the municipal planning authorities who allowed them to prosper.

It achieved notoriety when directing a tirade of criticism towards the town of Cumbernauld, which has the dubious distinction of being a two-time winner of the Plook on the Plinth title. Judges compared it to Kabul and described its shopping centre as a rabbit warren on stilts.

Now, after 17 years, the contest has come to an end after those behind the awards conceded that it was no longer fitting to single out downtrodden towns at a time when the Scottish economy remains stuck in the slow lane. Instead, it is hoped an alternative scheme will help local authorities with regeneration efforts.

John Glenday, the editor of Urban Realm, the architecture journal which organised the awards, told The Scotsman: “We feel the time is right to relaunch and rebrand. The idea is to re-energise things and make it more relevant. We want to make it more positive, more of a tool to kick start regeneration.”

The Carnucle contest has previously been described by Neil Baxter, secretary of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland as “cynical, crass, commercial, stupid, unhelpful, petty nonsense”.