The award is named in honour of Douglas Wilkie, co-founder of the Anti-Football League. Mr Wilkie was a respected columnist for the Melbourne Sun newspaper.

The medal is presented to an individual who has done the least for Australian Rules football throught out the year, and is presented on Anti-Football Day.

In the tradition of the presentation of the award, It is the recipient’s duty put a football to a use that is an improvement on its intended purpose. Over the years footballs have been eaten, exploded, chainsawed, drowned, buried, boiled, turned into dainty lingerie and even given a full sea burial, complete with pallbearers.

1967 – Harold Holt – former Australian Prime Minister
1968 – Bob Skilton – former VFL Footballer and double Brownlow winner
1969 – Ron Frazer (Fraser) – actor and comedian
1970 – Barry Oakley – author and playwright
1972 – Cyril Pearl – author and columnist
1973 – Douglas McClelland – Former Labor Party Senator and Minister
1974 – Leon Hill – former General Manager GTV-9
1975 – Barry Humphries – comedian, satirist

1977 – Kate Baillieu – former GTV-9 personality
1979 – Pete Smith – television announcer
1980 – Jack Elliot – racing writer
1981 – Lindsay Thompson – Former Premier of Victoria
1983 – Julie Clarke – a suffering housewife
1985 – Shelley Dye – another suffering housewife
1986 – Sir Les Patterson – alter ego of Barry Humphries
1987 – Peter Russell-Clarke – television chef and author

1988 – Terry Lane – ABC radio broadcaster
1989 – Raelene Boyle – Olympic and Commonweath champion runner
1990 – Tim Bowden – ABC broadcaster and author
1992 – Wendy Harmer - broadcaster and comedian
1993 – Tim Bowden – again
1994 – Dennis Pryor – Columnist and former classics Professor
2007 – Barry Jones -Politician, social activist, author

2008 – Michael Leunig-cartoonist