Award ceremonies are usually glittering affairs celebrating industry, sporting or artistic achievements, presented to winners who have excelled in their chosen field. Engraved glass plaques and crystal trophies are often given in recognition of success and hard work, but there are some awards that may have a more dubious honour attached to them.
Awards in this bracket might include the Stinky Shoe Award, awarded to children aged between five and fifteen for the smelliest trainer show. Sponsored by Odor-Eaters, the first prize is a handsome $2,500.
On the other hand, there is the Stella Award for the most outrageous lawsuit. The award is named after Stella Liebeck, who sued restaurant chain McDonalds when she spilt hot coffee into her lap. She was eventually awarded $2.9m.
Awarded posthumously, the Darwin Award is awarded to people who ‘ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene-pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion’, describes author Wendy Northcutt. In her book, The Darwin Awards she lists such foolish acts as voluntarily jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
The Ig Noble Prize, for Dumbest Scientific Achievements, boasts discoveries such as ‘Sword Swallowing and its Side Effects’, the results of which included ‘sore throats’.
Perhaps there are more than a few awards that not everybody would be pleased to receive. However unusual the award though, here at H Cooper Glass Engravers, we have a wide range of glass and crystal awards and are always happy to help.
