Where and when did the phrase "turkey of the year" originate? [closed]

Was it intended as a denunciation, a serious insult, a jocular dig, or something else? Does it have the same meaning today as it had then?"

Definitions of “turkey” (when used to refer to a person)

Slang. a person or thing of little appeal; dud; loser. a naive, stupid, or inept person.http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/turkey

A stupid or inept person.http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/turkey

Several decades ago, when I was training in an academic environment in the U.S., one fellow was elected “Turkey of the year.” He looked like a very popular kind of guy and was awarded a beautiful life-size golden turkey at an informal gathering. When I asked one of his mates what it all meant, I was told it was an award for being a failure, a screw-up at some of the several tasks they had had during that term. It puzzled me because there was no hostility, the recipient was applauded, laughed a lot, and seemed to enjoy it. I just recalled it recently and thought I might ask it here.

My search for “turkey of the year” wasn’t productive and only returned newspaper texts saying who had been elected where.

It can be offensive, but depending upon the context, it might not be. In the context you describe, it is apparently a tongue-in-cheek award for making some kind of mistake, and everyone (the recipient included) appreciates the humor involved.

However, turkey can also be intentionally offensive, and taken as such.

Context is everything.

The key here is that turkey is a playful expression for someone who made a mistake or poorly conceived an idea. Other similar words would be dork or doofus.

The term turkey is a lot friendlier and more playful than idiot or screw-up.

So in the context you've given, they're highlighting some screw up your colleague made, but it's done in a playful and friendly matter, and is not intended to cause genuine offence.