For decades, the Carbuncle Awards—most infamously the “Plook on the Plinth”—cast a long, controversial shadow over towns across Scotland. Branded as the country’s “most dismal town” by the architecture magazine Urban Realm, each recipient faced a wave of unwanted attention and, often, indignation. But after a fiery backlash from Port Glasgow, the most recent winner, the notorious award has finally been scrapped and replaced with a new, more uplifting honor that aims to spotlight community potential rather than perceived failure.
On September 22, 2025, BBC News reported that the “Plook on the Plinth” had been officially retired. The decision came just two weeks after social entrepreneur Kevin Green, who leads the PG25 regeneration project in Port Glasgow, refused to accept the trophy on behalf of his town. Green’s sharp rebuke called the award “poverty tourism” and condemned it for failing to capture the resilient, forward-looking spirit of the Inverclyde community. “It’s not the most positive thing when someone comes and says you’re the most dismal town in Scotland,” Green told BBC News. “I think where we can agree is on the word ‘potential’. I disagree with the word ‘squandered’. For me potential is just potential.”
The Carbuncle Awards, first launched in 2000, drew inspiration from a famous critique by King Charles (then Prince of Wales), who once described a proposed extension to London’s National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle.” The annual event quickly became a lightning rod for debates about urban decline, architectural missteps, and the fate of Scotland’s smaller towns. The trophy itself—a red “plook” (Scottish slang for pimple) fashioned out of Play-Doh—was presented to towns such as Airdrie, Cumbernauld, Glenrothes, and Aberdeen, often to the chagrin of locals and civic leaders.
According to Newsquest, the 2013 award to New Cumnock provoked a particularly fierce reaction. Judges then cited “irreversible decline” and a shrinking population as reasons for the unwanted distinction. Yet, as Sir Tom Hunter, a prominent New Cumnock native and billionaire, countered at the time, “The people of New Cumnock are as great as you’ll find anywhere in Scotland. As such, I expect they won’t take this lying down.” East Ayrshire Council’s chief executive Fiona Lees also slammed the award, calling it “very damaging to the enormous efforts of the community itself.”
Despite the criticism, Urban Realm’s editor John Glenday maintained that the awards were meant as a “shock and awe” tactic to draw attention to communities at risk of being overlooked. “Scotland is very centralised economically and politically. Smaller towns can fall down the back of the couch,” Glenday explained to BBC News. “The Carbuncle Awards are a way of bringing these places to attention and the problems that they face.” Yet, as the years passed, the negative connotations began to outweigh any intended benefit, and the awards fell silent after 2015—only to briefly return in 2025 with Port Glasgow as their eighth and final recipient.
What set Port Glasgow’s response apart was its refusal to accept the stigma. At the presentation event, Green denounced the visit as a “poverty safari” and rejected the narrative of “squandered potential.” Instead, he advocated for a focus on the town’s assets and the determination of its people. The ensuing dialogue between Green and Glenday led to a remarkable pivot: the Plook trophy was retired, and a new “Heart On Your Sleeve” Award was born. Rather than highlighting failure, this new accolade recognizes untapped potential and the vibrant community spirit that persists despite adversity. Port Glasgow, fittingly, became the first recipient.
The transition wasn’t just symbolic. Kevin Green, who crafted the new trophy himself—a quirky arm with a red heart protruding from it—has long been involved in efforts to revitalize Port Glasgow. His PG25 regeneration project is based on John Wood Street, a unique stretch where almost all the shops are “Common Good” properties. These buildings, originally gifted to the town by shipbuilder Lithgows, generate about £120,000 annually for a community fund overseen by Inverclyde Council. However, with more than a third of the 19 retail properties vacant, £50,000 is lost each year to maintenance and utility bills for empty shops and unused flats above them.
Green believes that if the street reached full occupancy, it could generate up to £250,000 a year—money that could be reinvested locally to spark further renewal. Yet, challenges abound. A retail park just 250 meters away siphons foot traffic from the historic core, and many shoppers bypass the old quarter altogether. There are, however, plans to reconnect the town center with the retail park, giving people a reason to rediscover the area’s charm. As Green put it to BBC News, “We just need to join the dots, to turn it into a destination street that brings footfall back to the historic core.”
Port Glasgow’s assets extend beyond its streets. With 100 square miles of regional parkland behind the town and the River Clyde at its doorstep, there’s a wealth of natural beauty and recreational potential waiting to be tapped. A survey of 700 residents confirmed broad support for leveraging these resources to breathe new life into the community.
Green’s professional experience in “corporate disposals” has also opened doors for the town. He works with companies to fulfill “social value” obligations, connecting corporate volunteering and surplus resources with community needs. While Scottish procurement law is less stringent than in England and Wales, where 10% of major public contracts must be spent on community projects, Green sees ample opportunity for businesses to give back. “We have legislation today that encourages businesses to give back to the community—and they’re desperate to do it,” he explained to BBC News. “The hardest part is that communities don’t know what they want. What we’re trying to do here is show that if you can get your act together and show what you want, you can find those resources.”
Back at the PG25 community hub, volunteer Abie Williams reflected on the town’s journey. Having lived in Port Glasgow for 70 years, Williams took a more nuanced view of the Carbuncle Award. “I think it’s been a good thing because it’s got tongues wagging,” he told BBC News. He acknowledged the challenges posed by the retail park and the frustration of navigating bureaucratic hurdles, but he insisted, “This is an amazing town. This town has fantastic potential—and sometimes an award like this is a good thing because it makes people aware.”
As the Plook trophy returns to Urban Realm for its retirement, the long saga of the Carbuncle Awards comes to an end. In its place, the “Heart On Your Sleeve” Award stands as a testament to the resilience, creativity, and hope found in Scotland’s towns—proof that even the most maligned communities can reclaim their narrative and chart a new course.
