Awards are visible and tangible. The second reason for awards is to serve as a motivator. Motivation can be broken into two types. Intrinsic motivation can be defined as doing something because of one's internal feelings such as needs or aspirations. There is no obvious ulterior motive with intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation is the kind of motivation awards encourage.
There is an obvious incentive or ulterior motive which moves the person to action. Not everyone thrives on extrinsic motivation. However, it is easy to get involved in competition and focus on this need. Different young people have different sources of motivation. For example, Joan might need the chance to win a ribbon or trip, or some material motivation to make her excited about participating in an activity.