In case you haven’t noticed, we here at Spike’s Trophies in Philadelphia are a little award-crazy. We believe that trophies, medals, pins, plaques and other symbols of recognition are a fun and creative way to celebrate any achievement in life, and to show a winner that their efforts have been recognized and appreciated. That being said, some people have taken the idea of awards to a whole new level; we’ve compiled just a few of the nuttiest awards given out around the globe, starting on the home front. The big question we have, of course: what should their trophies look like??
The Stinky Shoe Award
This national competition, held in the U.S. andsponsored by Odor-Eaters, is exactly what it sounds like – the winner, who must be between the ages of 5 and 15, will be judged as having the smelliest sneakers of the bunch. Besides odor, the overall condition of the shoe is also considered to determine whose kicks possess the most potent combination of battered and pungent. Laugh if you’d like, but the overall winner takes home a cool $2,500; that’s enough for a decade’s worth of brand-new Nikes, which by then we’re sure are sorely needed.
The Stella Awards
This award was named after the defendant in an infamous lawsuit, in which Stella Liebeck sued McDonalds after spilling a cup of coffee onto her lap that caused burns. The award, in turn, recognized people who filed “outrageous and frivolous lawsuits.” Winners include: a man who sued Michael Jordan for “defamation and permanent injury” because he was often confused for the celebrity; a woman who, after being attacked by a squirrel, sued a mall for “failure to warn patrons of the presence of squirrels” outside the establishment; and a man who sued a dry cleaners’ for $65,462,500 after the business lost his pants. The Stella Awards stopped being issued after 2007 …perhaps the founders were sued by embarrassed “winners”?
The Pigasus Award
The Pigasus award, which “honors” frauds and phonies, is unofficially handed out by a magician named James Randi. Randi, who has been giving out the award since 1982, even created several different categories to properly distinguish all types of fraud: worst pseudoscience, most useless studies and most outrageous report of paranormal activity are just a few. Some famous names pop up in his list of awards, including the well-known television psychic Sylvia Brown. Looks like Randi won’t be calling Spike’s Trophies anytime soon: the skeptic reportedly sends out “awards” via telekinesis. This way, he says, “If the winners don’t receive the trophy, it must be due to a lack of paranormal talent” (source).
If you liked this post, bookmark the Spike’s Trophies blog for more interesting, weird and useful facts about the world of trophies and awards. If you’ve been inspired by these wacky awards and want to give out one of your own, check out our website to view our huge variety of awards, with options for all occasions and budgets.