Why School Awards Might Do More Harm Than Good

And The Award Goes To…Not You!

It’s that time of year again: school awards nights.

Having raised three children through to year 12, I have sat through countless ceremonies, observing a recurring sentiment—disappointment. It’s not just parents who look with yearning as children (not their own) cross the stage for another award. (Notice that the same kids win most of the awards.) The kids look disappointed too, as they watch those high performers collect plaudits, trophies, certificates, and praise.

You know what isn’t felt by most? Resolve. Commitment. Intrinsic motivation towards growth.

Over the years, my perception of these ceremonies has shifted. I once wanted my children to be up on that stage too. Now, I want little or nothing to do with those awards ceremonies.

Why?

School Awards Don’t Reflect True Potential

Academic, sporting, and even citizenship awards, though significant, capture only a small fragment of a child’s development and identity. Witnessing only a handful of students repeatedly recognised in a vast pool of potential achievers does little to encourage others. Research suggests socio-economic status significantly predicts who receives awards—those with resources for tutoring, coaching, or expert guidance typically dominate. Besides, can only a few truly be working diligently or in a highly distinctive way?

Educational author Alfie Kohn explores this in his polemic (and brilliant) Punished by Rewards. Kohn notes that rewards can harm relationships by creating competition among children, turning classmates into rivals rather than friends. Classrooms become battlegrounds for recognition, as students vie for validation and teachers unwittingly become judges of students’ worth.

The Downsides of a Reward-Focused Culture

Kohn’s work reveals how:

Rewards rupture relationships:

School awards turn children into competitors, contesting for acknowledgment or to be noticed. They may resent those who are better than them and see those who are of similar ability as combatants. Rather than encouraging collaboration, rewards turn the classroom into a competition or create a never-ending need to be noticed.

Teachers, become the all-powerful arbiter and judge of worth (even if they’re not aware the kids see them that way). This is even more the case when a teacher promises that “if everyone behaves, we can have an early mark” and that kid who struggles with regulation (usually the ADHD kid) does something that keeps everyone in. Suddenly, the reward is removed. But the teacher doesn’t get the blame. The kid who spoilt it for everyone does. Ouch.

Rewards punish effort:

Those who work hard but are not quite there from a performance perspective are left empty-handed. This is true also for children who are unnoticed even though they’re consistent and trying hard. Implicit in the promise of an award—the carrot—is the threat of punishment—the stick.

A simple example: “If you do this well, you’ll get an award”. This implies that a failure to reach a given standard means a painful lack of recognition.

Rewards ignore context:

There is no attempt to understand why a student does or does not achieve an award. The student simply succeeds or they don’t. But access to resources, help, and support are huge considerations that are not considered.

Rewards stifle creativity and risk-taking:

Creativity is low. High-probability plays are taken because doing something out-of-the-box means potential failure, which means no award.

Rewards undermine intrinsic motivation:

Punishments and rewards are the lowest forms of motivation. When we see kids chasing an award, they’re not engaging in the activity for the joy of the activity. They’re doing it for the award. The potential here is that kids don’t learn how to do things that are worth doing for the sake of the act. Something must be in it for them.

Some may say, “That’s life”. Do well and get the reward. Do less well and miss out.

This may be true in many contexts. But that does not mean our education system needs to follow suit. A greater emphasis on day-to-day growth over celebrating annual school awards will do far more for motivation and achievement.

From Rewarding Excellence to Recognising Growth

Moreover, there’s a difference between acknowledging excellence and rewarding excellence. We can identify, acknowledge, and even celebrate achievements without fostering exclusivity or over-emphasising competition. Excellence for my child in an activity is different from excellence for your child. An award ceremony is not needed for this type of recognition, and, again, it will do more for motivation and achievement than an annual celebration of a handful of elite children.

Helping Children Navigate School Award Season

Despite my enormous reservations, award ceremonies are going to continue. Our education system is built around it. Parents will do well to encourage the following:

1/ Consider the value of what is being rewarded.

Encourage children to reflect on why certain achievements or attributes are celebrated and what is overlooked.

2/ Emphasise character over grades.

Teach children that who they are matters far more to you than what they achieve. Be clear and explicit about it.

3/ Support intrinsic motivation.

If they desire recognition, help them develop a plan toward goals for personal satisfaction, not public validation. Teach children that if they want to be recognised in that way, you’ll support them. Help them understand that motivation will be sustained if they are doing this for internal, rather than external, reasons.

4/ Encourage resilience in the face of letdowns.

If your child had hoped to “win”, ask them what missing the award means about who they are. (Hint: not much).

5/ Value diverse talents.

Recognise the talents and efforts that awards overlook.

In Adulthood, School Awards Rarely Make a Difference

No adult I know is still talking about how they were the Dux of primary school (or high school). No grownup has ever bragged to me about being school cross-country or swimming champion, or winning the regional shot-put competition. I’ve never seen a Twitter/X profile where someone bragged about how they were school captain. We have a word for someone like that: narcissist.

The transient nature of school awards becomes evident with time. These accolades fade away into the broader canvas of life’s experiences.

As we navigate through these annual rituals, acknowledging disappointment, fostering resilience, and instilling the value of learning (without the need for awards) are pivotal in shaping our children’s perspectives. The journey of growth, learning, and becoming whole individuals is far more valuable than any trophy!