Participation awards received negative press recently. But when you ask people what about participation awards they don’t like, it often has to do with the age of the recipient. It is important to understand what a participation award is for: namely participation. These are awards given to young children that are often trying a sport for the first time. The goal at this level is to help teach these kids about being part of a team. That it is important to show up to practices. That it is important to show up for games. To participate. These are not awards for individual records or team accomplishments. Those come later, when the child has made a decision to play a specific sport and work at it. In the beginning, it is about sticking to it, even though the child may not have chosen that particular sport. Therefore, an award for participating is exactly what is needed.
—JDS Industries
