As a child, when participating in almost any activity you receive some kind of praise for your effort. Whether it’s a compliment, a sticker, a tiny prize, or some other form of validation, you usually are conscious of the idea that your effort is being “appreciated”. 

Is this a good thing?

Over the years, the increase in usage of participation trophies has been substantial, but is their implementation a good idea? 

“I think that participation trophies are not a good idea for students, as they discourage students later who do make an effort, as the students who don’t have to do anything still get a reward for simply being there,” says senior Ashley Jillick. 

Many people agree with this mindset, and they argue that by giving students awards for simply being there, it disvalues the efforts of those students who did win by dedicating their time and efforts to competing. 

For some people, it varies with the situation. Some argue that for artistic competitions, participation awards are a good idea since portions of why certain pieces or people win are so subjective and it’s hard to score on objective criteria in comparison to sports games. 

“I think that things like art vary so much, a piece that someone might create could be wonderful to one person and not at all to another,” says senior Aryam Agili-Shaban. 

Overall, the topic of whether participation should be rewarded among children is still highly debated. It is evident that the lessons being learned from participation are crucial, but whether the efforts should be celebrated no matter the outcome is still up to interpretation.