Carbuncle Awards Explained

Carbuncle Awards should not be confused with Carbuncle Cup.

The Carbuncle Awards were architecture prizes, presented by the Scottish magazine Urban Realm (formerly Prospect) to buildings and areas in Scotland intermittently from 2000-2015.^[1]

They were established following a discussion about why policy initiatives to improve the quality of the built environment seemed to be having so little impact beyond the centres of Scotland's key cities.^[2]

The name of the awards was derived from a comment by the then Prince of Wales Charles III, an outspoken critic of modern architecture, who in 1984 described Ahrends Burton Koralek's proposed extension of London's National Gallery as a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend".^{[3] [4]}

There were three award categories:

• Plook on the Plinth Award "for the most dismal town in Scotland". A "plook" is a Scottish noun for pimple.
• The Pock Mark Award "for the worst planning decision".
• The Zit Building Award "for the worst building completed since the last awards".

Public nominations were made via the magazine's website, with a small group of critics selecting the final winners.

Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire won the Plook on the Plinth Award twice and was the town most frequently nominated for the award.

The Carbuncle Awards inspired the Carbuncle Cup, another architecture prize launched in 2006 which was given annually by Building Design magazine to "the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months".^[5] The latter went on to achieve somewhat greater prominence in the media, and was last held in 2018.

Winners

Plook on the Plinth Award

Year	Winner	Also Shortlisted
2000	Airdrie	Cumbernauld, Campbeltown, Ardrossan and Balloch^[6]
2001	Cumbernauld	Gretna, Aviemore, Dumbarton and two areas of Edinburgh^[7]
2005	Cumbernauld^[8] ^[9]	Cowdenbeath, Dalkeith, Ardrossan, Greenock and Granton (north Edinburgh)
2007	Coatbridge^[10] ^[11] ^[12]	—
2009	Glenrothes^[13] ^[14] ^[15]	New Cumnock and Motherwell^[16]
2010	John o' Groats / Denny^[17] ^[18] ^[19] ^[20] ^[21] ^[22]	East Kilbride, Inverness and Lochgelly^[23]
2011	Linwood^[24] ^[25] ^[26]	Nairn and Fort William^[27]
2013	New Cumnock^[28] ^[29]	Broxburn, Fort William, Kirkintilloch, Motherwell, Newmilns and Paisley^[30] ^[31]
2015	Aberdeen^[32] ^[33] ^[34]	Cumbernauld, East Kilbride and Leven

Notes:

• The shortlist section includes the towns that were in consideration for the award by Urban Realm.
• The 2010 award was passed to runners-up Denny, after original winners John o' Groats refused it.
• The 2005 judging panel included the artist Richard Demarco and the Sunday Herald's associate editor Alan Taylor.
• The 2011 judging panel included architecture critic Mark Chalmers and Urban Realm editor John Glenday

The Zit Building Award

Year	Winner	Shortlist
2000	UGC, now Cineworld in Glasgow	—
2001	Maternity hospital at Glasgow Royal Infirmary	Edinburgh Business Plaza The Exchange, Haymarket railway station
2005	The Pinnacle Building, Glasgow	—
2011	Menie Clubhouse^[35]	Fraserburgh Pool and Invergordon Fabrication shed
2015	Edinburgh Airport eastern terminal expansion	—

See also

• Carbuncle Cup
• Cumbernauld
• Urban Realm

Notes and References

1. Web site: Carbuncles . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-04.
2. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2005 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-04.
3. Web site: Life after carbuncles. Jonathan. Glancey. 17 May 2004. The Guardian.
4. Web site: A speech by HRH The Prince of Wales at the 150th anniversary of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Royal Gala Evening at Hampton Court Palace. 2014-09-04. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927213205/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speechesandarticles/a_speech_by_hrh_the_prince_of_wales_at_the_150th_anniversary_1876801621.html. 2007-09-27.
5. Web site: Six in race for Carbuncle Cup . 22 July 2010 . Watson, Anna . bdonline.co.uk . 2014-09-04.
6. News: Dismal distinction for Airdrie . 20 November 2000 . bbc.co.uk . 2014-09-04.
7. News: Cumbernauld wins carbuncle award . 21 November 2001 . news.bbc.co.uk . 2014-09-04.
8. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2005 . 2005 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-04.
9. Web site: Plook on the Plinth Award 2005 . 2005 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-05.
10. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2007 . 2007 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-04.
11. News: Carbuncle 'crown' for Coatbridge . 26 November 2007 . bbc.co.uk . 2014-09-12.
12. Web site: Plook on the Plinth Award 2007 . 2007 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-05.
13. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2009 . 2009 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-05.
14. News: 'Depressed' town wins Plook award . 29 January 2009 . bbc.co.uk . 2014-09-12.
15. Web site: Plook on the Plinth Award 2009 . 2009 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-05.
16. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2009 : Carbuncles : Architecture in profile the building environment in Scotland - Urban Realm.
17. Web site: John O'Groats named Scotland's most dismal town . 2010 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-12.
18. News: Carbuncle Award goes to John O'Groats . 10 September 2010 . bbc.co.uk . 2014-09-12.
19. Web site: Denny residents accept Plook after John O'Groats rejection . 2010 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-12.
20. Web site: Denny residents lobby for 'most dismal town in Scotland' award . 2010 . theguardian.com . 2014-09-12.
21. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2010 . 2010 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-05.
22. Web site: Plook on the Plinth Award 2010 . 2010 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-05.
23. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2010 : Carbuncles : Architecture in profile the building environment in Scotland - Urban Realm.
24. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2011 . 2011 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-10.
25. News: Linwood wins 'dismal' town award . 15 December 2011 . bbc.co.uk . 2014-09-12.
26. Web site: Plook on the Plinth Award 2011 . 2011 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-10.
27. Web site: Carbuncle Awards . glasgowarchitecture . 6 February 2015.
28. Web site: The Carbuncle Awards 2013 . 2013 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-10.
29. News: New Cumnock wins Carbuncle award . 28 March 2013 . bbc.co.uk . 2014-09-12.
30. News: Carbuncle Awards: What is Scotland's ugliest town? . The Scotsman.
31. Web site: Plook on the Plinth Award 2013 . 2013 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-09-10.
32. Web site: Plook on the Plinth Award 2014 . 2014 . urbanrealm.com . 2014-10-20.
33. News: Carbuncle Awards: Aberdeen named Scotland's most dismal town . BBC News . 2015-02-03.
34. Web site: City leaders hit back at Aberdeen's Carbuncle Award - Evening Express. 3 February 2015.
35. Web site: Trump clubhouse handed zit award . Urban Realm . 22 December 2011 . 6 February 2015.