EYES ON THE PRIZE
March 11, 2004
Nobel Committee Not Amused by Prank Nominations
Oslo, NO | The Norwegian Nobel Committee has stopped accepting candidates for it's 2004 prizes after receiving a record number of bogus entries.
Committee spokesman Geir Lundestad said, of the 288 individuals who have been nominated for prizes, at least half are of questionable origin.
Among the list of phony nominations are celebrities Paris Hilton and Ashton Kutcher, made-up names such as Seymour Butts and Paddy O'Furniture, and fictional characters like the Quiznos Sponge Monkeys and Bill Gates.
But Lundestad said the "last straw" was when some anonymous prankster submitted U.S. President George Bush's name for Peace Prize consideration.
Lundestad insisted, "The Nobels are given to recognize actual accomplishment, not to promote some self-serving publicity campaign. This ain't the Grammys."
