The Literary Review has cancelled its Bad Sex in Fiction Award for 2020 because "the public had been subjected to too many bad things this year to justify exposing it to bad sex as well," according to the organizers. From The Guardian:
The prize was set up in 1993 by Auberon Waugh, with the intention of "gently dissuading authors and publishers from including unconvincing, perfunctory, embarrassing or redundant passages of a sexual nature in otherwise sound literary novels". Last year it was jointly won by Didier Decoin for The Office of Gardens and Ponds, which included the passage: "Miyuki felt as though she was manipulating a small monkey that was curling up its paws", and John Harvey for Pax, in which the characters "embraced as if with violent holding they could weld the two of them one"[…]
But the judges warned authors not to take the cancellation as a "licence to write bad sex".
"With lockdown regulations giving rise to all manner of novel sexual practices, the judges anticipate a rash of entries next year," said a spokesperson. "Authors are reminded that cybersex and other forms of home entertainment fall within the purview of this award. Scenes set in fields, parks or back yards, or indoors with the windows open and fewer than six people present will not be exempt from scrutiny."
