Google First Search Award

Submission 23,579

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About

The Google First Search Award or the First Person to Google the Phrase Award is a fake trophy created by Instagram user Legbootlegit that is supposedly awarded to people for searching a phrase on Google for the first time ever. In September 2022, Legbootlegit posted several videos and photos to TikTok and Instagram in which it looks like he receives multiple awards for specific Google searches about pigeons. The content gained viral spread and some people believed the awards were real, inspiring Google to officially debunk the hoax in January 2023.

Origin

On September 9th, 2022, Instagram^[1] user legbootlegit, known for creating fake comedy products, posted a collection of eight photos of different awards purportedly given to him by Google for searching specific terms for the first time ever. Each crystal trophy is in reference to kidnapping and eating pigeons, also resembling the Ducks at the Park meme (examples shown below). The post gained over 64,000 likes in four months.

On the same day, @legbootlegit posted a video to TikTok^[2] receiving and unboxing the first award, garnering over 3 million views in the same span of time (shown below, left). He posted another video to TikTok^[3] on September 10th receiving the second award, also gaining 3 million views in four months (shown below, right).

Spread

The video and images of the awards gained viral spread over the following months. On September 9th, 2022, Kanak Bodkhe posted a question on the official Google Support^[4] page asking if the awards are real. On September 10th, one of the awards was reposted to 9GAG.^[5] On January 19th, 2023, @legbootlegit posted a video to TikTok^[6] responding to a commenter asking if Google tells you when you search something for the first time. In the video, legbootlegit shows himself Googling something for the first time followed by a fake prompt appearing under the search bar telling him he'll receive an award, garnering over 2.6 million views in a week (shown below).

The video inspired some TikTokers to try Googling things for the first time themselves to get an award, seemingly believing the awards are real. For example, on January 21st, TikToker^[7] @connorhessee posted a video trying to get the award, garnering over 8.5 million views in five days (shown below, left). On January 22nd, TikToker^[8] @nathantriska posted a similar video, garnering over 4.5 million views in four days (shown below, right).

Statement From Google

On January 25th, 2023, Newsweek^[9] published a story about the fake awards, sharing an official statement from a communications manager for Search at Google officially debunking the legitimacy of the awards, claiming, "15 percent of searches we see every day are new." The statement was also reported on by Dexerto^[10]that day.