Because we’re good and gracious people, we’re not going to cry foul on the Design Museum‘s Design of the Year prize, which just this week awarded its 2012 edition to the studio Barber Osgerby for their work on the London Olympics torch. If we weren’t so wonderful, we’d bring up how convenient it is that the London-based museum is giving the prize to an object related to the event London has spent nearly a decade preparing for, and how that might seem a bit biased (here’s where we might also mention that the London 2012 Velodrome won the architecture category). We then might also bring up that the torch, while very attractive, has such a very limited purpose, and an even shorter shelf life, that maybe something with a bit more longevity and wide-spread usefulness deserves the win. No, instead we are genuinely happy for all the winners (really, honestly, all snark aside), and leave you with a quote by London 2012 Organizing Committee co-chair, Sebastian Coe, about the torch’s big night:

The Torch is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Olympic Games and we are thrilled that our design has won this prestigious title. I am delighted we have such a brilliantly designed, engineered and crafted Torch that will help to celebrate the amazing personal achievements of each of our 8,000 Torchbearers and give them their moment to shine. It is also fantastic news that the stunning architecture of the London 2012 Velodrome has won an award and welcome recognition of the landmark new buildings the Games are bringing to London.