I won a participation award for my high school swim team; it was “most improved,” not “MVP” or “the best”. That award meant more to me than any other award because it showed improvement due to dedication and effort. I was not always first, but that didn’t make me last. The “if you’re not first, you're last mentality” is harmful. It teaches children that their effort and commitment to finishing something doesn’t matter if they didn’t finish first. Does the same go for graduating high school? If you didn’t graduate Valedictorian did that diploma mean nothing? The ribbons and certificates show completion of something, and completion is an accomplishment. There seems to be a belief that rewarding for participation causes children to feel entitled, that the kids haven’t actually earned anything. To say they didn’t earn recognition because they didn’t place devalues the effort put forth by those kids. There is merit in the hard work put in to complete a task or a season. Working hard to improve yourself should be rewarded just as much as winning. We need to teach children that showing up matters, and that in the long run it will be rewarded. Maybe this doesn't mean anything to you because you always won first place. Maybe you’re the best at everything. But if you’re not working to better yourself and learning compassion for others, then you actually aren't the best. Everyone needs to and should fail. But we shouldn't equate failure to being 2nd place, but to not trying at all. Everyone deserves feedback on what they did (whether it was the best or the worst) in order to learn how to improve. Stop teaching children that their participation doesn't matter as much as winning, because it means so much more.