What is a "wooden spoon"?

A wooden spoon award is a humorous or ironic prize given to someone who has performed the worst in a competition or contest. It is usually a literal wooden spoon, but sometimes it can be just a name or a title. The origin of this award comes from the British tradition of awarding a wooden spoon to the lowest-scoring student in the mathematics exam at the University of Cambridge. The wooden spoon award has since spread to other English-speaking countries and can be used for various academic, sporting or fun events.