Why it matters
Etsy gives a literal three-armed sweater, knitted by an Etsy seller, to the person or team whose mistake affected the site most memorably that year. Paired with blameless post-mortems, it signals that accidents are data, not grounds for shame.
How to run it
- Run blameless reviews all year. Focus on why actions made sense at the time, not who to blame.
- Nominate the year’s most instructive mistake — the most surprising, not the most damaging.
- Present the award with humour and gratitude. Share what the organisation learned.
- Display the object where people can see it, as a reminder that it’s safe to surface failure.
Watch out for
- Mocking the recipient — the tone must be celebratory
- Introducing it before blameless reviews exist; without them it feels like public shaming
When not to use it
For mistakes involving negligence, ethics or harm to people.