Participation trophies, often criticized as “meaningless,” actually provide kids with an important boost of self-esteem, especially in their early years. By recognizing every child’s effort and involvement, they help reinforce that showing up and trying your best matters — not just winning. In environments like sports or group activities, these small tokens of participation can encourage shy or less-skilled kids to stay involved and build confidence. Rather than fostering entitlement, they can help children feel seen and valued, laying the foundation for a growth mindset where effort is celebrated just as much as achievement.
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Sure, but second place is still the first place loser.
Participation trophies ultimately exist because parents and other adults don’t want to deal with kids potentially getting upset when they lose. It’s been awhile since I was a kid, but I don’t think anyone who got those trophies ever thought they actually won.
There’s nothing wrong with giving every participant something to take home from an event, but it’s never not annoying seeing the people who pushed these on us complain about the shit they chose to do
You can recognize a child’s effort and involvement with something other than the prize given to those who work hard for excellence. Otherwise, it diminishes the value of a trophy. Discipline, dedication, and the reality that you don’t always win are also important lessons for kids.
As someone who grew up in the “participation trophy” era, I can say at least by grade 3 on, I saw through them and it felt condescending. There might be a better word to describe it but can’t think of it now
Perhaps for early years it’s more helpful but at a certain point, it backfires
It’s not empowering to children, who know full well, they are children who have lost. it’s the combination of losing and being patronised.
I got participation trophies for being on sports teams and just assumed they recognized that I played that season. More souvenirs than trophies.
As an adult, give me that finishers medal at the 5k thank you very much.
So then they feel even worse about themselves when they get older and realize they don’t get a prize unless they are top three! What a blow to their confidence.
I think if self-esteem is contingent on trophies of any sort, that’s problematic, in that trophies are esteem: it’s how others see/saw you. Self-esteem is internally generated, esteem is externally bestowed. One’s self-esteem has to be independent of anyone else’s opinion, recognition, validation, etc. So basically: you can’t be handed self-esteem.
This is not to say esteem is not important, recognition by others has its own value, but is a separate social phenomenon.
I remember when I had to play football with a school team. Participation medal both made me feel included and felt like a meaningless pity award since even I knew I was a shitty player the same time.
Edit: I was around 10 or 11 year old
The problem with this whole concept is that the kids that need that self-esteem boost they’d get from the trophy is that they eventually get old enough to realize that it’s just a damn participation trophy and that everyone got one. So yeah, it boots their self-esteem when they’re 8 or 9. And then it crushes their self-esteem when they are 15 or 16 and they realize it. In the mean time, no one taught them any decent coping skills.
considering the massive backlash of them, from the very same people who won them… wrong.
The participation metals at running events for finishing the race are cool, especially since running is more of an individual sport (even when you do have a team)
Or maybe we could try not making everything a competition? To me, participation trophies are a way of acknowledging kids who simply can’t keep up with the competition. It has its merits, but wouldn’t be necessary if there were options for sports that weren’t entirely focused on competition past kindergarten.
They don’t need a trophy for you to accomplish the things you referenced.
Trophies should be earned, not just handed out. You’re devaluing actual trophies with this mindset.
Let me guess? Participation trophies are the only trophies you ever received. I purposely don’t say “earn” because you didn’t earn them, you were just handed them.
The notion that children get a self-esteem boost from participation trophies is decades out of date.
Humans are a highly social species. Children compare themselves against each other. When everyone gets the same trophy, then trophies degenerate into meaningless time wasting ceremonies.
One of the malignant effects of the participation trophy era is it left a generation skeptical of any praise at all from their elders: cheap awards were so plentiful that the people who were forced to endure them formed a habit of skepticism towards positive feedback.
You say this to everyone, don’t you?
I’ve always viewed participation trophies as a reward for finishing. Especially in youth sports learning to finish even when things suck is a big deal.
No one bats an eye at adults getting medals for finishing marathons, half-marathons, and 5ks.
Tough love…self esteem needs to be challenged. It’s meaningless if your always pampered you need to see both sides
Not at all they just prolong telling them something that will hurt until they learn.
It is far better to increase your children’s self esteem by encouraging them to not wrap it up in a singular hobby, but via their personal character. You can teach them to be proud of their accomplishments, but that their self esteem isn’t attached to them but who they are as a person, and how hard they try, and then to be proud when they win or learn something, or skill up in something.
Not even proper trophies in national competitions helped my self esteem. Win an event and go home hating yourself and feeling worthless.
Trophies and self esteem are essentially separate.
I once received a trophy for being the “most artistic camper.” Cool, except this was at a sports summer camp. There were no art activities at this camp. I was 7, and I knew it was bullshit.
Building self esteem for the sake of self esteem just sets them up for bigger disappointment later when they realise they’re mediocre. The episode of the bad and ugly on American Idol are full of kids growing up with high self esteem because grandma says they’re an amazing singer.
I think it depends on the particular kid and the age. My 9yo son would see right through it and not care. My 6yo daughter would be hugely motivated by it.
It’s just dumb to set kids up with the notion that everyone is a winner/you can win as long as you put in effort. Sometimes you put in effort and try you best and you still lose and that’s ok because that is just how life goes.
Would be much better for parents to get their kids a reward on their own and say its ok buddy, you can try again next time, this is how it is sometimes & teach them this healthy lesson that you don’t get rewards just because you did something all the time. At least this will breed less entitled adults who think they should also get rewarded just for showing up
All the adults who hate participation trophies better not be accepting any medals for participating in their local 5k turkey trot every year.
But that’s not true in real life
I am not good at sports but my parents forced me to play soccer lol. I felt really stupid getting a participation trophy. “Congratulations, you suck 🏆 “
Giving trophies to players on losing side does not incentivize them to improve. If they want a consolation price, them coupons for a free scoop of ice cream or whatever.
If you want a trophy, then practice harder, improve your game, outcompete your opponents and emerge victorious. You’ll have your well-deserved trophy.
What makes victory so sweet? The losses, commitment to hard work, and the road towards improvement which ultimately paid off.
A trophy is a reminder of that journey.
(I can understand exception made for olympic medals: gold, silver, bronze. Should IOC award even more medals for brass 4th, copper 5th, zinc 6th, Aluminum 7th, Lead 8th, Iron 9th and Manganese 10th?)
Agreed. A participation trophy I got for cross country running as a kid, inspired a lifelong love of running.
In the UEFA cup, which is one of the biggest professional football competitions in the world.. every participant gets a medal. These are grown men,paid to play, and everyone knows the appropriate thing is to give everyone a medal.
So why not kids?