Learn Farsi: ما به برنده، نابغه‌ی جوان، یک تندیس دادیم. - We gave a statuette to the winner, a young genius.

This is an example of noun apposition, known as badal in Farsi. Because نابغه‌ی جوان (a young genius) is just renaming or giving more information about the exact same person as برنده (the winner), they sit side-by-side separated by a comma. Just like in English, you do not use a connector like the ezafe here.

Wait, then why is there a ی (ye) attached to the end of نابغه?

That ezafe is connecting the noun نابغه (genius) to its own adjective جوان (young). Since نابغه ends in a silent h (ه), we must add the letter ی to create the ye connector sound, making it نابغه‌ی جوان.

Why does the direct object یک تندیس (a statuette) come after the indirect object phrase?

In Farsi, indefinite direct objects (ones that use یک and don't have the specific object marker را) are usually placed right before the verb. That is why it comes after the prepositional phrase به برنده، نابغه‌ی جوان.

Is تندیس just a normal word for statue, or does it specifically mean a trophy here?

تندیس generally means statuette or sculpture. However, in the context of competitions, ceremonies, or film festivals, it is the standard Farsi word for the physical award or trophy handed to the winner.