The Olympus Awards 2026: Recognising greatness in total incompetence.

By Ritvik Singh (Del of the Hindu)

Best Villain Origin Story

Winner: Athena

The moment -

The committee had the job of finding a missing Zeus, and Athena saw this as a kind of casting

call for the next final boss.

“None of you deserve his throne.”

“I'll bring Zeus back.”

“Kneel to my power.”

We appreciate Athena's dedication to efficiency - instead of rescuing Zeus, why not just replace

Him?

Best "He's Just Doing It for Attention" Theory

Winner: Hephaestus

The moment -

While Olympus was panic-stricken by the disappearance of its king, Hephaestus quietly decided

that Zeus must have arranged the whole crisis himself.

“Dad disappeared.”

“He's most likely doing it to get attention.”

At a committee convening where the topics of discussion included kidnapping, a civil war and

the collapse of Olympus, this view somehow ended up being one of the most popular ones of

the night.

The “Congratulations, You Made It Worse” Award

Presented to … Everyone.

The moment -

● Poseidon being stripped of his powers - that accidentally removed all the water in Greece.

● Sentenced Thanatos, the literal God of Death, to 400 years in the Underworld -

effectively placed Death under house arrest.

● Locators of Gods task force was created - while still having absolutely no idea

where Zeus was.

● Sent Artemis’ hounds to search for Zeus - succeeded only in terrorising the mortal

realm.

● Started a civil war over the throne - then discovered nobody could rule unless Hades

stayed alive anyway.

The HR department has apparently refused to make any comment.

The actual crisis didn’t stop at Zeus vanishing - it escalated with the creative solutions brought forward by the committee.

Most Undeserved Comeback

Winner: Poseidon

The moment -

He attempted to take over the throne, then went on to start a civil war - lost all his powers in the process, accidentally caused Greece to run out of water, yet somehow made it onto the shortlist as ruler of Olympus.

Lifetime Achievement in Selective Memory

Winner: Hera

The moment -

She spent the evening in mourning over Zeus, made it clear that no one should ever take his place, naturally opposed all attempts to claim the throne - then the committee revealed she had once conspired to overthrow Zeus herself.

A few hours later...

Hera was crowned Queen of Olympus.

It was a real source of inspiration to see that in Greek politics a coup today will be included in one's resume tomorrow.

Closing

I would like to congratulate all of our winners. To those who didn't receive an award - don't worry. A further divine constitutional crisis is always possible!