A trophy is given to children who take part in a sporting competition but do not finish in first, second or third place so would not normally be eligible for a trophy.

People believe participation trophies can encourage children to work hard.

• Critics argue that they promote egotism and privilege among children to whom they are given, and based on incorrect assumptions regarding supposed psychological benefits of self-esteem. 

• Defenders of participation trophies argue that they teach children that trying their best is good enough even if they do not win. Critics of participation trophies also note that some children also do not value them as much as they do normal trophies that are given to winners.

The Awards and Recognition Association has developed a tip sheet for coaches that include ideas on developing a meaningful sports recognition program.

Merits and demerits of partaking trophy on the child’s development

1. School trophies are given to young children for their effort in school, and in their eyes, all they see is a beautiful gold sculpture. At a young age, competitiveness and an appreciation for the sport are not taught and it is causing kids to grow up with self-centered attitudes because they have never had to work for anything. 

2. They know that if they give a little bit of effort, they will always be rewarded with a custom trophy. 

3. Every time there is a School trophy, you are implicitly telling the kids that whatever you do, there will be a reward in the end. That is when it gets complicated because doing a good or a bad job, they will still expect something in the end. 

4. Without the drive to want to be the best, we will begin to see a decrease in long term participation in sports, once the age of School trophies passes. Participation trophies allow kids to no longer to be internally motivated through a sport that can have a negative long-term impact on not only the kid mentally but also physically.

5. Today’s society revolves around praising one another, especially in our youth. The current generation has been labeled as soft and our society has reformed to make everyone feel accepted and have a sense of value in him or herself. 

6. Custom trophies are one of the changes that people believe are responsible for our delicate society.

7. School Trophies are effective at young ages to let them remember their effort and work towards their sport. Participation Trophies can be seen as necessary for building up children’s confidence and making them feel valued but there are both sides to the argument. Overall, Custom awards are changing the meaning of sports for better or for worse.

Do Participation Trophies Hinder Child Development?

The generation of kids that are coming through, everyone gets a trophy and inappropriately, it is our society what we're building for. Everybody thinks they should get a good job.  But No, that's not the way it works. However, unfortunately, that's what we are preparing for.

Many parents, coaches, and professional athletes believe participation trophies don't adequately prepare children to face the challenges and disappointments of our harsh world. The result is an entire generation of enfeebled adults who are unable to function or achieve.

School trophies are bad for kids, parents, and for society. This belief that is showing up is an accomplishment it is self-destructive because the pain of losing is part of what drives one to improve. In the actual world, you're happy for achievement, not effort.

Participation trophies and the developing mind

Participation trophies will indoctrinate children into believing that winning isn't important and showing up is all that matters. Children will, in turn, grow up to be adults who are both lackadaisical and narcissistic. By providing trophies to winners only can we still in them a proper of the relationship between hard work, improvement, and achievement.

But this ignores evidence suggesting that rewards are only a small part of it. It is the moment when someone discovers about his or her dedication and efforts that have come to fruition. Sometimes that moment culminates in a trophy. Undervaluing that effort and those smaller moments can, in turn, hinder motivation and improvement.

The children who were praised for their efforts, as opposed to strictly their performance, tended to believe that intelligence is something that could be improved. Conversely, the children who were praised for being smart were found to be more performance-focused. This resulted in them displaying less task persistence, less task enjoyment, more low-ability attributions, and worse task performance. We need to acknowledge and reward efforts, not talent and not an achievement.

Overestimating the Value Of The Win

The idea of giving trophies to the winners does not emphasize enough of the other important values. We want kids to participate in sports, to learn to improve their skills, to help others, to work hard and contribute to the team.

Sports can teach career-transferable skills such as teamwork, communication, and self-discipline. However, sports are ultimately a very simplistic analogy for life. They come with a rulebook, a referee, and unequivocal win conditions.

A New Type Of Participation Trophy?

Children understand that not everybody is a winner and that winning is better than losing. They are equally aware that a first-place trophy is more valuable than a participation trophy. Participation trophies neither devalue first-place trophies nor shield a child's emotions from the sting of losing. 

The development approach was planned to help close achievement gaps, not hide them. It’s about telling the truth about a student's present success and then, collectively, doing something about it, helping him or her become smarter.

These trophies would praise individual merit and improvement whether that is achieving a PR, improves a specific skill or even something as simple as getting over the fear of the ball. For old children, it is best to drop the trophies altogether and replace them with praise for effort and growth in tandem with honest discussion on how to improve.

Conclusion

Participation trophies are seen to be effective and help youth. Praising children and rewarding them constantly builds up their confidence and work ethic. They understood that flattering children for their achievement encourage them to work hard and repeat their actions. It is also very effective in youth sports to grab their attention and get them devoted when being announced to something new.