The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word APHRODITE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
A
P
H
R
O
D
I
T
E
More clues leading to the result APHRODITE
- Goddess of beauty atrophied terribly
- Goddess in Paphos, undressed, tried to change
- One hard poet translated is Paris prizewinner
- Anchises’s lover or the paid alternative
- Oh, I parted sadly from love’s image
- Beauty found in rubbish tip? Oh dear!
- Drunken Idaho rep embracing tense love goddess
- Shell supports her in painting atrophied bananas
- Competition winner awarded an Apple iPad or the alternative
- Kinky top, say, and liquid diet for goddess
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Competition winner awarded an Apple" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case competition winner awarded an apple = aphrodite.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.