QuickCheck: Is there an official national Toilet of the Year award?

IT'S AWARD season in Hollywood.

With the 81st Golden Globes Awards, the 29th Critics Choice Awards and the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards last month followed by the 66th Annual Grammy Awards earlier this month, the season to celebrate the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry is working its way to the granddaddy awards event of all, the 96th Academy Awards on March 10.

Of course, there can be no excellence without failure, nothing can rise to the top if there's nothing to sink in.

Which is why a day before the Oscars, on March 9, the 44th Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies, would be held to celebrate the worst of cinematic failures. Speaking of stinkers, does Malaysia have a national Toilet of the Year award?

VERDICT:

TRUE

Now hold on a moment, I know what you're thinking. But unlike the Razzies, this Toilet Of The Year Award, launched by the then Local Government Development Ministry last year, is not about celebrating the type of toilets that you have nightmares about.

Quite the contrary, it is an effort by the government to transform public toilets in the country to be clean, attractive and fragrant as well as to enhance the country's image, especially among foreign tourists.

Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said that this initiative was part of preparations for Visit Malaysia Year 2025.

Last year, the winners were The George, Penang (hotel category); Toppen Shopping Mall, Johor Bahru (shopping centre); Elmina South-Bound (RnR); Petron Senai, Johor (petrol station); and Cawan Mu Ipoh, Perak for the restaurant category.

If you are disappointed that your favourite public porcelain throne didn't win, don't despair. You know what they say, if at first you don't succeed, flush, flush again.

You can submit your favourite extraordinary lavatory in this year's Toilet of the Year Award. There will be seven categories to vote in, including schools.

Submissions close on April Fool's Day.

So hurry and drop your submissions in to have a say in which public toilets in the country come out smelling like roses.