Turnip Prize 2021: 'Panda Mick' wins spoof art award

A soft toy entitled "Panda Mick" has won the annual spoof Turnip Prize competition.

The Turnip Prize is organised by a Somerset pub each year as a parody of the world-famous Turner Prize.

It is awarded to the person who has created a very bad artwork using the least amount of effort possible.

This year, at a ceremony held at The New Inn in Wedmore, the prize was awarded to a 69-year-old architect for his take on the word "pandemic".

Accepting the award of a turnip mounted on a six-inch nail, the winner - from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire - said: "I have always had grand designs on art and wanted to create something contemporary to build on the foundation of my black and white."

Originally from Sydney, Australia, he added it was "a great honour to win this prestigious award".

The Turnip Prize organiser, Trevor Prideaux said: "I am delighted with the lack of effort taken to create this work.

"This year's event attracted 96 entries," he said, before adding the winner "clearly has what it takes to be recognised in modern art circles and will be remembered in art history for no time at all".

Other finalists included tongue-in-cheek nods to the hot topics of 'Green Energy' and 'Glowball Warming', interpreted through a 9v green-coloured battery and a glow ball on a hot water bottle.

Mr Prideaux said he believed the artists entering the Turnip Prize had "created by far better works" than "the Tate Britain Gallery could ever wish to exhibit".

The spoof prize was first given out in 1999 in response to Tracey Emin's My Bed, which was shortlisted for the Turner Prize that year.

The top artworks will be on show at the pub until Friday. After that, they will be thrown in the skip.

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