You’ve heard of the Olympics. Of similar prestige is the Allett Creative Lawn Stripes Competition, wherein lawn enthusiasts make grass into “mesmerizing works of art.”
On September 25, British mower-maker Allett declared Joe Davis the ultimate lawn enthusiast, with over 1,500 public votes backing his work on Westfield Football Club’s massive pitch. As funny as I find Allett’s hype around the contest, Davis’ art is legitimately mesmerizing. Someone in Hereford buy this man a pint.
The highbrow design world may not recognize lawn stripes as a medium, but it’s fun to consider how many outlets for creative work are ingeniously, sometimes comically, specific. In that spirit, we offer you this roundup of off-the-wall honors. Most involve design, though we had to throw a word one in there.
We hope you laugh – and realize that it’s never too late to find and achieve a psychotically niche dream.
Turnip Prize
What it recognizes: Deliberately terrible art, parodying the renowned Turner Prize (“too much effort” gets you disqualified).
Prize: An actual turnip nailed to a board.
Most recent winner: Wonga Woman’s “Tax in Creases,” basically a bunched-up white shirt with tacks sprinkled in its creases. “I couldn’t be bothered to finish the ironing!” the artist told the BBC.
Stuck at Prom
What it recognizes: Formal dance attire made entirely from Duck-brand duct tape.
Prizes: $15,000 scholarships for dress and tuxedo champions, with $1,000 cash awards for runners-up and Most Runway Worthy, Most Inspiring, and Trust E’s Choice.
Most recent winners: Emmalyn H. – the hot-pink Disney-princess ballgown of your dreams – and Nicholas M. – if Willy Wonka were a drum major on Pluto.
Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition
What it recognizes: Exquisitely micro-engineered mechanical puzzles in metal and wood (names aren’t a factor, but there are some beauties among the 2025 contenders: Marshmallow Test Burr, Tortoise Protocol, Watermelon²).
Prizes: Bespoke puzzle trophies and pins.
Most recent winners: Junichi Yananose’s Hugo the Hippo, which won the public Puzzlers’ Award and shared the Jury Grand Prize with Jukebox by Daniel Czuriga and Tibor Folytán.
Loo of the Year Awards
What it recognizes: Public restrooms that undergo a 101-point inspection in 63(!) categories, ranging from those at zoos and bingo halls to portables and whatever qualifies as “Quirky.”
Prizes: The Golden Loo Seat Trophy goes to the overall winner, and it is literally a golden toilet seat mounted on a square plinth (other honorees get trophies that are disappointingly classy).
Most recent winner: The Centre Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland (Google’s overview of its facilities includes this distinction: “toilets described as immaculate”).
Peeps Diorama Contest(s)
What it recognizes: Mixed-media world-building with adorable (and always polarizing) marshmallow treats.
Prizes: Many organizations put on Peeps diorama contests, and schwag for top entrants ranges from exposure and gift cards to…more Peeps.
Most recent winners: For a sense of the playing field, peep (hahaha) the Peeps-spiration Gallery through the Library Arts Center in Newport, New Hampshire.
Diagram Prize
What it recognizes: The oddest book title of the year.
Prize: None, though the nominator of the winning title traditionally gets “a passable bottle of claret.”
Most recent winner: The Philosopher Fish (our money was on How to Dungeon Master Parenting).
