Award

NJROTC unit of Port Charlotte High School

An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field.^[1]^[2] When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.

An award may be described by three aspects: 1) who is given 2) what 3) by whom, all varying according to purpose.

The recipient is often an individual, such as a student or athlete, or a representative of a group of people, be it an

organisation, a sports team or a whole country. The award item may be a decoration or an insignia suitable for wearing, such as a medal, badge, award pin or rosette. It can also be a token object such as a certificate, diploma, championship belt, trophy, or plaque. The award may also be accompanied by a title of honor, and an object of direct value, such as prize money or a scholarship

.

Furthermore, an honorable mention is an award given, typically in

public authority (see fount of honour), or a private organisation or individual. The latter may also include ecclesiastical authorities, such as in the case of ecclesiastical awards

.

For example, the

Pulitzer Prize

honors literary achievements. An award may be a public acknowledgment of excellence without any tangible token or prize.

Awards for

sports tournaments often take the form of cups, following a tradition harking back to the ancient Greek tripod given to winners in athletic contests.^[3] The Stanley Cup is a modern example. In contrast, awards for employee recognition often take the form of plaques or crystal pieces.^[4] An award may carry a monetary prize

given to the recipient.

Finally, an award may recognize participation rather than victory. There is controversy regarding the appropriateness of participation awards for students in United States schools.^[5]

A relative field to awards is

medals

and other decorations.

References

^ "Definition of award in English". English Oxford Living Dictionaries. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^ "Meaning of "award" in the English Dictionary". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
^ Sowder, Amy (April 2008). "Ancient Greek Bronze Vessels". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
^ "Corporate Awards: A Beginner's Guide". Viking Trophies Awards and Recognition. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
^ Ross, Martha (25 September 2015). "Should kids in sports get trophies just for participating?". The Mercury News. Retrieved 1 May 2019.

Authority control databases
International	FAST
National	Spain France BnF data Germany Israel United States Latvia Japan Czech Republic
Other	NARA

Award

See also

References

Further reading