The Pants Awards

What is a “Pants Award”? Who receives them? Why?

Understanding The Pants Awards first requires a grasp on British slang. Used as an adjective to describe something that is a bit rubbish, pants is also an abbreviation of underpants. Thus: a Pants Award is an image of a pair of underpants, delivered to someone who’s website has been judged as a bit rubbish.

The Pants Awards

Recipients from over the years:

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are you to decide that a website is pants?

Indeed, good question. I have no more right than anyone; I don’t claim to be “superior” (well, not all of the time). I am simply exercising my theoretical right to free speech by making public my first impressions. We all judge a website when we view it, to deny that is to deny human nature.

Isn’t this bullying?

It is not my intention to bully anyone. If a webmaster believes I am mistaken in any claims I make in my posts, they are welcome to e-mail me (jem@jemjabella.co.uk) and I will remove the claims/the post as I deem appropriate. I will not cater to requests to remove posts simply because someone disagrees with my opinion.

What makes a website pants?

A website that goes above and beyond the realm of “dodgy”. I don’t care if a site looks a bit crap, or doesn’t have perfect spelling and grammar… these are not pants-worthy offences. What bothers me are webmasters (of all ages) distributing content that is not theirs (infringing upon other’s intellectual property rights) or giving advice on code and web design when they clearly don’t have a clue what they’re saying. The two usually go hand in hand.

I also occasionally “pants” a corporate site for being annoying, unfriendly or generally just crap.

How would you like it if someone gave you a pants award/review?!

Oh, please do. The more the merrier. :) Perhaps you can use these other reviews for inspiration: