Every Dundie award was a memorable aspect of The Office, and each character obtained their fair share of the unique trophies. Dunder Mifflin manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) invented the “Dundie Awards” to celebrate his employees at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch. More importantly, the annual event allowed Michael to forcibly get his colleagues to hang out with their boss outside of work. Despite the branch leader’s enthusiasm for the ceremony, the others weren’t as thrilled with Michael’s performance as the MC or the awards they tended to receive.
By the time The Office started, the Dundie Awards had been going on for years. Michael created the ceremony to boost morale for his branch. To honor each employee for their work and presence at Dunder Mifflin, Michael awarded a Dundie to every person in attendance. Rather than hosting the event in the office building, the Dundies took place at a local Chili’s restaurant though that location was eventually moved when Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) was banned from Chili’s.
The Office Season 2’s Dundie Award Winners
Michael Opened The Ceremony With An MC Performance
The first Dundie Awards ceremony was featured in the season 2 premiere appropriately titled “The Dundies.” The episode set the season’s tone, allowing the sitcom to find its footing before emerging as a must-watch series for years to come. At the 8th Dundie Awards, Michael performed an MC performance with various alter-egos but fell flat. After being heckled by other Chili’s patrons, a drunken Pam rallied her coworkers to encourage Michael to continue.
Phyllis received the humorously misspelled “Bushiest Beaver” award, reflecting Michael’s cluelessness, while Ryan was dubbed “Hottest in the Office,” highlighting his discomfort with being valued for his looks. Angela’s “Tight-Ass” award teased her stringent demeanor, and Kelly’s “Spicy Curry” award exposed Michael’s insensitivity to diversity. Kevin enjoyed his “Don’t Go in There After Me” award, aligning with his love for crude humor, while Stanley’s “Fine Work” award acknowledged his reliable, albeit detached, work ethic though it was a step down from his win for “Great Work” the previous year.
| Season 2 Dundie Award Winners | |
|---|---|
| Dunder Mifflin Employee | Award |
| Phyllis | “Busiest Beaver” Award (misspelled to say “Bushiest Beaver”) |
| Ryan | “Hottest in the Office” Award |
| Angela | “Tight-Ass” Award |
| Kelly | “Spicy Curry” Award |
| Kevin | “Don’t Go in There After Me” Award |
| Stanley | “Fine Work” Award |
| Meredith | “Grace Under Fire” Award |
| Pam | “Whitest Sneakers” Award |
| Jim | “Jim Halpert” Award |
The Office Season 7’s Dundie Award Winners
The Ceremony Was Co-Hosted By Deangelo Vickers
Before Carell left The Office in season 7, his character was allowed to host one last Dundie Awards ceremony. During the event, Michael trained his replacement, Deangelo Vickers (Will Ferrell), to eventually take over as the host. The Dundies took place at a local Italian restaurant, this time due to Pam’s previous banishment from Chilis. The ceremony didn’t go smoothly, but Michael ended up handing out the remaining awards in the conference room. When he finished, his employees sang an altered version of “Seasons of Love” titled “9,986,000 Minutes” in his honor.
Phyllis was honored with the “Redefining Beauty” Award, while Angela’s sharp edges were acknowledged with the “Kind of A B*tch” Award. Dwight was recognized as a “Promising Assistant Manager,” fitting for his ambitious yet often misguided career aspirations. Meanwhile, Meredith and Oscar received awards that were playfully ironic, such as “Best Mom,” and “Worst Salesman of the Year” Awards. Deangelo’s short stint as host was humorously immortalized with the “Best Dundies Host” Award, and Toby’s perpetual unpopularity was captured with the “Extreme Repulsiveness” Award.
| Season 7 Dundie Award Winners | |
|---|---|
| Dunder Mifflin Employee | Award |
| Phyllis | “Redefining Beauty” Award |
| Andy | “Doobie Doobie Pothead Stoner of the Year” Award |
| Angela | “Kind of A B*tch” Award |
| Dwight | “Promising Assistant Manager” Award |
| Erin | “Cutest Redhead in the Office” Award |
| Stanley | “The Diabetes” Award |
| Meredith | “Best Mom” Award |
| Oscar | “Worst Salesman of the Year” Award |
| Jim | “Best Dad” Award |
| Deangelo | “Best Dundies Host” Award |
| Darryl | “Moving On Up” Award |
| Toby | “Extreme Repulsiveness” Award |
| Danny Cordray | “Hottest in the Office” Award |
Other Dundie Award Winners
Ryan Won The “Hottest In The Office” Award For Five Consecutive Years
Throughout The Office‘s nine-season run, past awards were mentioned from time to time. In 2004, Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) won the “Great Work” award. That next year, Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak) won his first “Hottest in the Office” award, which he won for the next five consecutive years. Of course, Pam has a history of winning the “World’s Longest Engagement” award due to her long-term engagement with Roy Anderson (David Denman) until she won for “Whitest Sneakers” in season 2. Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) was also said to have previously won the “Show Me the Money” award.
The Office Ladies Podcast Revealed More About The Dundies
The Office Ladies podcast, hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, who played Pam and Angela, revealed the origin story of the Dundie Awards. They explained that Greg Daniels, the developer of the American version of The Office, originally intended to introduce the Dundies in the pilot episode. However, NBC had other plans and requested that the pilot closely mirror the British version of the show. Despite this change, the presence of the Dundies was subtly hinted at from the beginning, with Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, adjusting his Dundie award in the opening credits of Season 1.
The concept of the Dundies was inspired by a personal tradition of Greg Daniels from his days at King of the Hill, where he worked before The Office. There, he created the “Swampy” awards, given to staff as a form of light-hearted recognition. These awards, just like the Dundies, were represented by the same generic “businessman with briefcase” trophy seen in The Office. This idea was carried over to the NBC show, where it evolved into a beloved, albeit cringeworthy, annual event hosted by Michael Scott that humorously highlighted the quirks and “accomplishments” of the Dunder Mifflin staff.
