The Turnip Prize: satirising art

The Turnip Prize is a spoof UK award satirising the Tate Gallery's annual Turner Prize by rewarding deliberately bad (but amusing) modern art such as "Collywobbles" (a dog on a jelly), pictured. Organised by a village pub in Somerset, it is seen as an example of classic British irreverence to establishment values.

The prize was conceived in 1999 by the management and regulars of The George Hotel, Wedmore, Somerset, after the exhibition of Tracey Emin's My Bed was shortlisted for the actual Turner Prize.

The competition is based on the supposition, "We know it's rubbish, but is it art?". Competitors have submitted entries of ridiculous objects posing as contemporary art, mostly made from junk and given titles based on spoofs or puns. The prize is a turnip impaled on a rusty six-inch nail.

In 2005, Ian Osenthroat, a 69-year-old former photocopier salesman, won with the exhibit Birds Flew, a bird's nest with a flu remedy box. He commented satirically, "I have entered this most coveted art award on several occasions and I really feel that the lack of effort this year has really paid off."

The latest award in 2020 went to “Lockdown” - a padlock on top of a pile of duck down feathers.

The prize-giving is currently held at The New Inn in Wedmore, Somerset, and the winner announced in early December.

It is owned and organised by Trevor Prideaux and was announced thus: "The Turnip Prize is a crap art competition ... You can enter anything you like, but it must be rubbish."

Nearby-based graffiti artist Banksy has apparently entered several times but been disqualified for effort and artistic ability.