How to List Awards and Honors on a Resume (With Examples)
Knowing how to list awards and honors on a resume can be the difference between a hiring manager scanning past your application and one who stops to read every word. Awards and honors are concrete proof that someone else has recognized your work — and that social proof matters when you’re competing against dozens of other candidates. But where do you put them? How do you format them? And which ones are actually worth including? This guide answers all of those questions with clear examples you can adapt right now.
Key Takeaways
- Only include awards that are relevant to the job, recent, or demonstrate a standout achievement — skip participation trophies and high school honors once you have work experience.
- Place awards in a dedicated section if you have three or more; otherwise, fold them into your education or experience sections.
- Format each award with the award name, granting organization, and date (year is usually enough) — add a one-line description only if the award’s significance isn’t obvious.
- Quantify the selectivity or impact of the award whenever possible (e.g., “1 of 5 recipients out of 2,000 applicants”) to give it weight.
- Use a free ATS-friendly resume builder like ResumeMate to ensure your awards section stays properly formatted and doesn’t get mangled by applicant tracking systems.
| What to Do | Why It Matters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Create a standalone “Awards & Honors” section if you have 3+ relevant awards | Gives your achievements visibility and shows a pattern of recognition | 5 minutes |
| Merge awards into Education or Experience if you have only 1-2 | Keeps your resume clean and prevents a sparse section from looking like filler | 2 minutes |
| Add a brief description for obscure awards | Helps recruiters understand the value without having to Google it | 1 minute per award |
| Remove high school awards after your first professional job | Frees up space for more recent, relevant accomplishments | 1 minute |
| Run your resume through an ATS score checker | Ensures your awards section is parsed correctly and doesn’t hurt your ATS score | 2 minutes |
Why Listing Awards and Honors on a Resume Matters
Awards and honors are third-party endorsements. Unlike a bullet point where you claim you “increased sales by 20%,” an award says someone else verified your performance. That external validation carries weight with recruiters who see hundreds of self-reported achievements every day.
Including awards can also help you pass the six-second resume test. Recruiters often skim resumes quickly, and an award like “President’s Club Winner” or “Dean’s List” jumps off the page. It signals that you’ve been vetted before — and that you might be worth a closer look.
For students and early-career professionals, awards and honors are especially valuable. When you don’t have much work experience, academic honors, scholarships, and competition wins serve as proxies for your potential. They show you can excel in a structured environment, meet high standards, and earn recognition from authority figures.
For experienced professionals, awards demonstrate sustained excellence. A “Top Performer” award from three years ago might not land you a job on its own, but it adds a layer of credibility to your track record. It tells the hiring manager that your success isn’t a fluke.
Where to Place Awards and Honors on Your Resume
Where you list awards depends on how many you have and how relevant they are to the job you’re targeting. There’s no single correct answer, but here are the most effective placements.
Dedicated Awards and Honors Section
If you have three or more awards that are directly relevant to your field, create a standalone section. This is common for academics, researchers, sales professionals, and creatives. Place it after your work experience and education sections, but before skills and certifications.
Example:
Awards & Honors
- President’s Club Award | Acme Corp | 2025 — Top 5% of sales representatives nationwide
- Innovation Grant Recipient | National Science Foundation | 2024 — $50,000 awarded for AI-driven supply chain research
- Employee of the Year | TechStart Inc. | 2023 — Selected from 400+ employees
Within the Education Section
If you’re a student or recent graduate with one or two academic honors, list them under your degree. This keeps your resume tight and contextualizes the awards.
Example:
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science | University of Michigan | May 2025
- Dean’s List (Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024)
- Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society
Within the Experience Section
If an award is tied to a specific role, you can mention it as a bullet point under that job. This works well for performance-based awards like “Salesperson of the Quarter” or “Top Customer Satisfaction Rating.”
Example:
Senior Account Executive | ABC Software | 2023–Present
- Closed $2.1M in new business, exceeding quota by 40%
- Received President’s Club Award (2024, 2025) for top 3% company-wide performance
In a Combined “Awards & Activities” Section
If you have a mix of awards, leadership roles, and volunteer work, you can combine them into one section. This is common for students and entry-level candidates. Just make sure the section title reflects the content — “Leadership & Awards” or “Activities & Honors” works well.
How to Format Awards and Honors for Maximum Impact
Formatting awards correctly ensures they’re easy to scan and ATS-friendly. Follow these guidelines.
Basic Format
For each award, include:
- Award name (bold or italic to make it stand out)
- Granting organization (company, school, association)
- Date (year is usually sufficient; month and year if recent)
- Optional description (one line explaining significance or selectivity)
Template:
- [Award Name] | [Organization] | [Year] — [Brief description if needed]
When to Add a Description
Add a one-line description if the award name doesn’t make its significance obvious. “Dean’s List” is widely understood. “The Henderson Prize” is not. For obscure awards, briefly explain what it represents.
Without description:
- Henderson Prize | University of Texas | 2024
With description:
- Henderson Prize | University of Texas | 2024 — Awarded to the top undergraduate researcher in the College of Engineering
Quantify Selectivity When Possible
Numbers make awards more impressive. If you know how many people applied or what percentage of employees received the award, include that.
- Better: “Recipient of the XYZ Scholarship”
- Best: “XYZ Scholarship Recipient (1 of 10 selected from 1,200 applicants)”
Ordering Awards
List awards in reverse chronological order (most recent first) unless one award is significantly more prestigious. In that case, lead with the most impressive award regardless of date.
Awards and Honors Examples for Students and New Grads
Students and recent graduates often have more awards than work experience. Here’s how to present them effectively.
Academic Honors
- Dean’s List | University of Washington | 2023–2025
- Summa Cum Laude | GPA: 3.92 | May 2025
- Phi Beta Kappa | Inducted 2024
Scholarships and Fellowships
- Barry Goldwater Scholarship | 2024 — National award for undergraduate STEM researchers (1 of 438 recipients)
- Presidential Scholarship | University of Chicago | 2021–2025 — Full-tuition merit scholarship awarded to top 1% of incoming class
Competition Wins
- 1st Place, Statewide Business Plan Competition | Texas DECA | 2024 — Beat 200+ teams with a pitch for a sustainable packaging startup
- Finalist, Google Code Jam | 2023 — Placed in top 100 out of 30,000+ participants
Leadership and Service Awards
- Eagle Scout Award | Boy Scouts of America | 2022
- Outstanding Student Leader Award | Student Government Association | 2024
If you’re struggling to fill your resume because you lack work experience, awards can help. Pair them with volunteer work and projects. For more guidance, read our post on how to list volunteer work on a resume with no experience.
Awards and Honors Examples for Experienced Professionals
Mid-career and senior professionals should focus on awards that demonstrate industry recognition, leadership, and measurable impact.
Industry Awards
- 40 Under 40 | Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2025 — Recognized for leadership in fintech innovation
- Best Paper Award | International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) | 2024
Company Awards
- President’s Club | Salesforce | 2023, 2024, 2025 — Top 1% of global sales representatives
- Innovator of the Year | Google | 2024 — Led team that developed a patent-pending AI feature now used by 10M+ users
Performance-Based Awards
- Top Customer Satisfaction Rating | Zappos | 2024 — Achieved 98% positive feedback across 1,200+ customer interactions
- Manager of the Quarter | Deloitte | Q3 2024 — Selected from 80+ managers based on team retention and project outcomes
Grants and Fellowships
- NIH R01 Grant | National Institutes of Health | 2024 — $2.5M awarded as Principal Investigator for cancer immunotherapy research
- Guggenheim Fellowship | 2023
If you have multiple awards spanning different categories, consider grouping them under subheadings like “Industry Recognition” and “Company Awards” to make the section scannable.
How to Describe Awards When the Name Isn’t Self-Explanatory
Many awards have names that mean nothing to an outsider. “The Silver Beaver Award” could be anything from a scouting honor to a sales trophy. Your job is to translate the award into language a recruiter understands.
The Formula
Award Name + Context + Impact/Selectivity
- Context: What is the award for? Who gives it?
- Impact/Selectivity: How many people receive it? What does it signify?
Example:
- Silver Beaver Award | Boy Scouts of America | 2023 — Recognizes exceptional character and service to youth; fewer than 1% of Scout leaders receive this award annually
When the Award Is Industry-Specific
If you’re applying within the same industry, you can assume the recruiter knows what the award means. But if you’re changing industries or applying to a company outside your niche, add a brief explanation.
For an internal transfer within the same field:
- PMP of the Year | PMI Chapter | 2024
For a role outside your industry:
- PMP of the Year | Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapter | 2024 — Awarded to one project manager annually for outstanding project delivery and mentorship
Avoid Jargon and Acronyms
Never assume a recruiter knows what “ACME President’s Diamond Circle” means. Spell it out or describe it. If the award is internal to a company, explain that it’s a company-wide recognition.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Listing Awards
Even well-intentioned candidates make errors that weaken their awards section. Here are the most common pitfalls.
Including Irrelevant or Outdated Awards
Your “Perfect Attendance Award” from 10th grade doesn’t belong on a professional resume. Neither does “Employee of the Month” from a part-time job you held a decade ago unless it’s directly relevant. As a rule of thumb, remove high school awards after your first professional job, and drop college awards once you have 5+ years of experience — unless they’re exceptionally prestigious (e.g., Rhodes Scholarship).
Listing Too Many Awards
If you have 15 awards, don’t list all of them. Curate the list to the 3–5 most impressive and relevant. A long list dilutes the impact and takes up valuable space. Recruiters will skim past a wall of awards just like they skim past a wall of text.
Using Vague or Incomplete Information
“Awarded for outstanding performance” tells the recruiter nothing. What performance? Measured how? By whom? Always include the granting organization and, if possible, the criteria.
Placing Awards in a Hard-to-Find Location
Don’t bury your awards at the bottom of a second page where no one will see them. If they’re strong, put them on the first page. If you’re using a two-column resume template, make sure the awards section is in the main column, not a narrow sidebar that ATS might skip. For ATS safety, a single-column layout is the safest choice. You can build one free with the ResumeMate AI resume builder.
Forgetting to Update Your Awards
If you won an award in 2025 but your resume still says “2023,” you look careless. Review your awards section every time you update your resume. Remove awards that have aged out and add new ones promptly.
How to Check If Your Awards Section Is ATS-Friendly
Applicant tracking systems parse your resume and extract information into a digital profile. If your awards section is formatted with tables, text boxes, or unusual fonts, the ATS might skip it entirely — or worse, turn it into gibberish.
Here’s how to make sure your awards survive the ATS scan:
- Use standard section headings. “Awards & Honors” or “Honors & Awards” are both fine. Avoid creative titles like “Accolades” or “Trophies.”
- Stick to simple formatting. Use plain text, bullet points, and bold/italic sparingly. No tables, columns, or graphics in the awards section.
- Avoid abbreviations the ATS might not recognize. Write “Employee of the Month” not “EOTM.”
- Test your resume. Upload your resume to a free ATS score checker to see exactly how it parses. The ResumeMate score checker gives you a section-by-section breakdown and flags any formatting issues that could hurt your score.
If you’re also listing publications alongside awards, the formatting rules are similar. Check out our guide on how to list publications on a resume for non-academic jobs for more ATS-friendly formatting tips.
How Awards Fit Into Your Overall Resume Strategy
Awards don’t exist in a vacuum. They work best when they reinforce the story your resume is already telling. If you’re positioning yourself as a top-performing salesperson, your awards should back that up. If you’re a researcher, your awards should highlight your contributions to your field.
Think of awards as the exclamation points on your resume. They don’t replace strong work experience bullet points or a clear skills section — they amplify them. A resume that lists “President’s Club” under a job with no context or metrics is less powerful than one that shows the numbers that earned the award.
For career changers, awards can bridge the gap between your old field and your new one. A “Teacher of the Year” award might not seem relevant to a corporate training role — until you describe it as “recognized for designing and delivering engaging curriculum to 150+ students, resulting in a 20% increase in standardized test scores.” Suddenly, it’s a training and development achievement.
If you’re trying to show career growth without formal promotions, awards can serve as proof of increasing responsibility and impact. Read our post on how to show career growth on a resume without promotions for more strategies.
FAQ
Q: Should you include honors on a resume?
A: Yes, if the honors are relevant, recent, and demonstrate achievement. Academic honors like Dean’s List and honor societies are valuable for students and recent graduates. Professional honors like industry awards and performance-based recognition strengthen any resume. Skip participation trophies, outdated high school honors, and anything that doesn’t add meaningful proof of your abilities.
Q: How to list awards and achievements on a resume?
A: List awards in a dedicated “Awards & Honors” section if you have three or more. For each award, include the award name, granting organization, and date. Add a one-line description if the award’s significance isn’t obvious. If you have only one or two awards, fold them into your education or experience section instead. Always use reverse chronological order unless one award is significantly more prestigious.
Q: How to list awards and honors on a CV?
A: A CV (curriculum vitae) typically includes a more comprehensive list of awards than a resume. On a CV, you can include all academic honors, scholarships, fellowships, grants, and prizes in a dedicated “Honors & Awards” section, often with full descriptions. Unlike a resume, a CV doesn’t need to be as tightly curated — but you should still prioritize the most significant awards and list them in reverse chronological order.
Q: How to list awards on a resume when you have many?
A: Curate your list to the 3–5 most impressive and relevant awards. Group them under subheadings like “Industry Awards,” “Academic Honors,” and “Performance Awards” if they span different categories. If you have a long list of awards that are all highly relevant (common in academia), consider creating a separate “Selected Awards” section on your resume and directing readers to your full CV or LinkedIn for the complete list.
Q: How to list honors on a resume as a student?
A: Place academic honors under your education section, directly beneath your degree. List items like Dean’s List, honor societies (Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi), and graduation honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude). If you have scholarships or competition wins, you can create a separate “Awards & Honors” section. Keep descriptions brief — most academic honors are self-explanatory to recruiters.
Q: Can I list awards I won in a previous career if I’m changing fields?
A: Yes, but frame them in terms of transferable skills. A “Top Salesperson” award might not directly apply to a project management role, but you can describe it as “recognized for consistently exceeding targets and managing complex client relationships.” Focus on the behaviors and results the award recognized, not just the title. If the award doesn’t translate at all, leave it off.
Q: Should I include the monetary value of an award?
A: Only if the amount is impressive and adds context. A $50,000 research grant is worth mentioning. A $100 gift card for an internal recognition program is not. For scholarships and grants, including the amount can signal the award’s competitiveness and prestige. For performance awards, the selectivity (e.g., “top 1%”) is usually more impactful than any cash prize.
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