Award

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Some of the trophies earned by the NJROTC unit of Port Charlotte High School. NJROTC Awards.jpg
Some of the trophies earned by the 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.

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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 (award). 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 education, that does not confer the recipient(s) a higher standing but is considered worth mentioning in an honourable way. An award may be conferred as a state decoration by a sovereign state, dynasty or other 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 Nobel Prize recognizes contributions to society, while 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 phaleristics, an auxiliary science of history and numismatics which studies orders, fraternities and award items, such as medals and other decorations.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lists of awards</span>

Lists of awards cover awards given in various fields, including arts and entertainment, sports and hobbies, the humanities, science and technology, business, and service to society. A given award may be found in more than one list. Awards may be given by a government agency, an association such as the International Cricket Council, a company, a magazine such as Motor Trend, or an organization like Terrapinn Holdings that runs events. Some awards have significant financial value, while others mainly provide recognition. The lists include awards that are no longer being given.

Decoration may refer to:

The Australian honours and awards system refers to all orders, decorations, and medals, as instituted by letters patent from the Monarch of Australia and countersigned by the Australian prime minister at the time, that have been progressively introduced since 14 February 1975. The Australian honours and awards system excludes all state and local government, and private, issued awards and medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medal</span> Small commemorative artistic object

A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be intended to be worn, suspended from clothing or jewellery in some way, although this has not always been the case. They may be struck like a coin by dies or die-cast in a mould.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padma Vibhushan</span> Second highest civilian award of the Republic of India

The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards. However, government servants including those working with PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are not eligible for these Awards. As of 2024, the award has been bestowed on 336 individuals, including thirty-one posthumous and twenty-one non-citizen recipients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trophy</span> Reward for a specific achievement

A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athletics. Additionally, trophies are presented for achievements in Academic, Arts and Entertainment, Business, Military, Professional awards, Community Service, Hunting, and Environmental accomplishments. In many contexts, especially in sports, medals are often given out either as the trophy or along with more traditional trophies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Order (distinction)</span> Visible honour awarded to an individual recipient

An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sashes worn by recipients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Victorian Chain</span> Award

The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch. It ranks above the Royal Victorian Order, with which it is often associated but not officially related. Originally reserved for members of the royal family, the chain is a distinct award conferred only upon the highest dignitaries, including foreign monarchs, heads of state, and high-ranking individuals such as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nishan-e-Imtiaz</span> First-highest civilian award of Pakistan

The Nishan-e-Imtiaz is one of the state organized civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the award is not limited to citizens of Pakistan and, while it is a civilian award, it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform. Nishan, translating as decoration/order/mark, is a highly restricted and prestigious award, roughly equivalent to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Order of the British Empire, and is the first category award of Order of Imtiaz. The other three descending categories are Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. Usually, it is regarded as the highest award one can achieve in Pakistan since the higher award Nishan-e-Pakistan is awarded only to foreign Heads of States.

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces and worn on their uniform. It can also be awarded to foreign citizens who have performed great service to Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orders, decorations, and medals of India</span> Award

The Indian honours system is the system of awards given to individuals for a variety of services to the Republic of India. The categories of awards are as follows:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilal-i-Imtiaz</span> Second-highest civilian award of Pakistan

The Hilaal-e-Imtiaz, also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by the Government of Pakistan. It recognises individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of Pakistan, world peace, cultural or other significant public endeavors". It is a civilian award, and not limited to the citizens of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecclesiastical award</span>

An Ecclesiastial award is an official award, honor or privilege presented by ecclesiastical authority. In the Eastern Orthodox Church certain official awards and honours may be bestowed upon members of the clergy and laity. Such awards are bestowed either by the ruling bishop under whose jurisdiction the recipient resides, or—in the case of higher awards— by a synod of bishops.

The South Korean honors system includes orders of merit, medals of honor, and commendations conferred by the South Korean government onto its citizens and foreigners.

References

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

Further reading