A long, shuddering gasp of relief will no doubt have been heard from the losers, as the Canadian author Nancy Huston scooped the least coveted book award of the year, the Literary Review's Bad Sex prize, for her 14th novel, Infrared, about a woman who likes to snap her lovers in the throes of passion.

The judges were seduced by her vivid imagery, which included such descriptions as "flesh, that archaic kingdom that brings forth tears and terrors, nightmares, babies and bedazzlements", and "my sex swimming in joy like a fish in water".

Huston, who now lives in Paris, was either too busy or too bashful to attend the ceremony in London, but 400 guests raised a toast to her, none more heartily than the authors she vanquished, who include the distinguished BBC Newsnight economics editor Paul Mason, poet Craig Raine and veteran novelist Tom Wolfe, a previous winner in 2004.

The two authors who had been believed to be a shoo-in for the prize, JK Rowling (for her first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy), and Fifty Shades of Grey creator EL James, were both in the end eliminated reluctantly by the judges before the shortlisting stage – Rowling because her writing wasn't nearly bad enough, and James because the prize, established to draw attention to bad sex writing "and discourage it" specifically rules out pornographic or intentionally erotic literature.

The prize, presented by the actor Samantha Bond, was collected on Huston's behalf by her publisher, Atlantic, but the author did send a pert statement. "I hope this prize will incite thousands of British women to take close-up photos of their lovers' bodies in all states of array and disarray," she said.

Huston was unfancied by Guardian readers, who in a poll of the shortlisted authors were far more drawn to Wolfe's Back to Blood, Sam Mills's The Quiddity of Will Self, and Raine's The Divine Comedy, which between them attracted more than 70% of the votes.

But in the end, Huston carried the night. Her prize – a a "semi-abstract trophy representing sex in the 1950s" – will need to find shelf room in an already-bursting awards cabinet: Huston has in the past won France's premier literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, the Prix Femina, and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2010 for her novel Fault Lines.

The prize ceremony was held in the august surroundings of the Naval & Military Club in St James. The name by which it is better known undoubtedly explains the choice of venue – The In & Out club.