In the midst of yesterday's Darwin Day celebrations around the world, you might have missed this little tidbit. Some folks in Australia have begun giving away the Wilberforce Award, named of course for the Bishop Wilberforce who debated the validity of evolution against T.H. Huxley at Oxford in 1860. The award is given to an individual who "through the silly nature of their arguments or actions, have inadvertently done the most to promote evolution as a fact". This year's winner was Carl Weiland, the head of Answers in Genesis, the Australian creationist organization. But as the newspaper reported, the evening's festivities were missing something:
But when Carl Wieland was declared winner of the inaugural Wilberforce Award, no one stepped forward."We sent him an email, saying congratulations and inviting him," Richard Saunders, president of Australian Skeptics, said later. "But we didn't hear a peep."
Still, members of the Australian scientific community loudly proclaimed Weiland's tireless efforts:
"Carl," said Australian Museum paleontologist Alex Ritchie, "was a standout winner. For 25 years he has been defending the indefensible. His efforts haven't gone unnoticed."
Congratulations, Mr. Weiland. It's a well-deserved award and you should be very proud.
Hat tip to Paul Myers for catching this one.