The twentieth Annual “Ernie” Awards for sexist remarks will take place at a gala dinner for 300 women at NSW Parliament House on Wednesday 26 September.

The Ernies are awarded for sexist remarks made during the year. They are divided into the categories of Political, Industrial, Judicial, Media, Sport (The Warney) and Clerical/Celebrity (The Fred). There is a category for “The remark least helpful to the sisterhood” which is called ‘The Elaine’. The overall winner receives the Gold Ernie. There is also a Good Ernie for men behaving better.

Simon Benson, winner of the 2011 Good Ernie, is reluctant to return the trophy

The winners are decided by the volume of booing that greets each remark as it is read out by the Mistresses of Ceremony, Meredith Burgmann and Yvette Andrews. Highly trained boo-monitors judge the volume. There were over 100 nominations this year which have been pared down to a short list of 10 Political, 8 Sport, 12 Media, 4 Judicial, 10 Industrial, 8 Clerical, 9 ‘Elaines’, 10 ‘Good’ Ernies.

Here are the hot tips for the Gold Ernie in 2012. Can we say it has been a bumper year for misogyny.

Kyle Sandilands for calling journalist Alison Stephenson “some fat slag…a piece of shit…you haven’t got that much titty to be having that low cut a blouse”.

Alan Jones “Women are destroying the joint, Christine Nixon in Melbourne, Clover Moore here. Honestly!

..There’s no chaff bag big enough for these people”.

The Anglican Diocese of Sydney for proposing new marriage vows which require women to promise to “submit” to their husbands.

Basketball Australia for planning to send the women’s team to London economy class while the men travelled Business.

Barry O’Farrell for saying of Linda Burney “I am not sure which other Member could be the hooker, perhaps the Member for Canterbury.”

Grahame Morris “Well Leigh (Sales) can be a real cow sometimes when she is doing her interviews.”

David Farley CEO of Australian Agricultural Company while demonstrating an abattoir machine “So it’s designed for non-productive old cows – Julia Gillard’s got to watch out.”

Mark Latham  “Australia’s teaching profession is dominated by ageing matrons, instinctively resistant to new ideas”.

Lego for designing new characters for ‘Lego Friends’ marketed to girls. They spend their time in Heartlake City cafe, splash pool and beauty parlour and come in different pastel shades.

Feminist icon Germaine Greer is nominated for the Elaine (remark least helpful to the sisterhood) for her extraordinary admonition “You’ve got a big arse Julia. Just get on with it”.

However multiple Ernie winner Tony Abbott just couldn’t help himself so also gets into trouble for his response to Greer’s remarks “I know, I know, I know. Germaine Greer was right on that subject”.

The awards for the various categories will begin at 7.45pm and the Gold Ernie will be announced at approximately 9.50pm tonight.