Awards You Never Knew Existed

Entertainment Weekly ran a headline story today that Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber were the big winners at the Fragrance Foundation Awards, “the Oscars of the fragrance industry.”

The Bieb produces better women’s fragrances than Lady Gaga…. Think about that one for a minute.

Of course, the shock to the average male reader isn’t that Bieber’s perfume “girlfriend” beat out Lady Gaga, but that there were over a dozen different categories devoted to rewarding fragrances. As if a higher price-per-ounce than gold wasn’t enough.

 

In honor of the Fragrance Awards, here are 3 other wacky awards you never knew existed.

 

The Ernie Awards: Most Sexist Comment (Australia)

What else would you expect from a country that refers to women as “Sheila’s.” The award derives its name from former Australian Workers Union secretary Ernie Ecob who once famously stated “Women aren’t welcome in the shearing sheds. They’re only after the sex.”

 

The Ig Nobel Prize: Useless Scientific Research

Because the mixture of government grants and Billy Mayes sales pitches just isn’t recognition enough, the Ig Nobel awards exist to “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” Each year since 1991, Harvard, MIT, and other Ivy League colleges have a little fun naming the top 10 unusual or trivial scientific achievements of the year. Their tag line “If you didn’t win a prize, and especially if you did, better luck next year.”

 

Stella Awards: Frivolous Lawsuits

Maybe it was tort reform that put a stop to these gems, but from 2002-2007 people who filed ridiculous lawsuits may not win in court, but they could win a Stella Award. Named for Stella Liebeck, the plaintiff in the famous “McDonalds Coffee” lawsuit, Stella award winners include the infamous $65 million lawsuit over a dry cleaner losing a pair of pants.

 

For those of you desperate to have a little fun with your own awards, Awards Connection offers some…unique…trophies.

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