Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Nenana Ice Classic
Every year since 1917 the folks up in Nenana, Alaska have been placing bets on when the ice in the Tanana River will break up. They place a tripod out on the frozen river in February, and when the tripod moves downstream far enough to break the cord attached to it, the river ice is officially considered broken up.You can place bets by mail, and could win as much as $300,000 (depending on how many people enter the contest). Proceeds go to charity. $2.50 per guess.
Details at NenanaIceClassic.com
The past winning times:
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 06, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Miss Christmas Tree 1951
Selected 'Miss Christmas Tree of 1951' by 40 members of the UCLA chapter, Sigma Chi fraternity, is 24-year-old Diane Dearborn. Miss Dearborn, who arrived in the United States seven weeks ago from Paris, France, is a singer. The collegians saw her picture in a newspaper, reported 'she seemed prettier that the rest of them'.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 16, 2019 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Holidays, 1950s
Miss Popcorn
A few of the holders of the "Miss Popcorn" title. It seems the title must have been discontinued after Miss Popcorn of 1952 generated a bit of bad press.
Chicago Tribune - Oct 21, 1950
Cincinnati Enquirer - Mar 11, 1951
Palm Beach Post - Nov 12, 1952
Windsor Star - Aug 6, 1953
Posted By: Alex - Tue Dec 11, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Food, 1950s
You Know Scholarship
From Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay: Practical Advice For The Grammatically Challenged by Richard Lederer and Richard DowisThe first year’s winner was thirteen-year-old Dalton Hartman, who submitted a tape with forty-one you knows in four minutes, thirty-eight seconds. The next year, a fifth grader named Jason Rich took the prize. His tape, a twelve-minute interview with a basketball coach, had sixty-four you knows...
Colonel Oldfield has made arrangement in his estate for continuation of the contest.
Oldfield died in 2003. I can't find any evidence that the scholarship did continue after his death. This LA Times article has more info about his somewhat eccentric philanthropy.
Des Moines Register - Feb 16, 1997
Posted By: Alex - Sat Nov 10, 2018 -
Comments (3)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Languages
Alternative Miss World
One to add to our ongoing theme of weird beauty contests: the Alternative Miss World contest. It started in 1972 and has been held every few years in London since then. A documentary was made of the 1978 contest (video clip below). More info: BBC News
Andrew Logan (left), founder of the contest, with Sasha Frolova (right), winner of the 2014 Alternative Miss World. Source: Facebook
The Miami News - May 31, 1985
Posted By: Alex - Wed Oct 24, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Macaroni woman of the year
Since I posted a few days ago about eggplants that looked like Richard Nixon, I thought it only fitting to also note that his wife, Patricia, had her own food thing going on. In 1970, she was named Macaroni Woman of the Year by the National Macaroni Institute. She also had her portrait painted out of macaroni by the artist Don Wheeler.
Redlands Daily Facts - Oct 1, 1970
Wilkes Barre Times Leader - Apr 14, 1971
Posted By: Alex - Sat Sep 01, 2018 -
Comments (4)
Category: Art, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Food, Politics
Hero Dog of the Year
In 1954, Ken-L Ration Dog Food began awarding a prize to the "Hero Dog of the Year." Sponsorship switched to Kibbles 'n' Bits at some point.Here is a list of some winners.
The latest year I can find when the award was given was 2004.
The American Humane Society seems to have taken over, or rebooted the award.
In any case, the award gives us a chance here at WU to carry forward one of our earliest missions: proving that cows are the most evil and deadly creature on the planet.
Article behind NYT paywall, alas.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 30, 2018 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Dogs, 1950s, 1980s
Skipperette of the Fishermen’s Fiesta
The skipperette and her two mates will reign over Los Angeles Harbor fishermens fiesta during Oct. 1 & 2. L.R.: Mate Doris Spanje; Skipperette Amelia Nizetich and mate Deana Trutanich.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 03, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, 1950s
The CGI of 1985
1985 Clio Award winning Television commercial done for Canned Foods Information Council by San Francisco ad agency of Ketchum Communications. [This] spot, "Brilliance," won in Computer Animation category and featured a voice-over by motion picture star, Kathleen Turner.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 06, 2018 -
Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Business, Advertising, Food, Robots, Computers, Special Effects, 1980s
Top Ten Teen Idols of 1967
I would have liked to see the sample cohort of teens that voted in this poll.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 10, 2018 -
Comments (4)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Celebrities, Music, Politics, Teenagers, 1960s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction books such as Elephants on Acid. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |