How to List Awards on a Resume (+ Examples)

Awards provide proof of your professional and academic achievements. We’ll teach you how to list awards on your resume the correct way.

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Our Expert:

Eva Chan

Should you put awards on your resume?

Yes, you should put awards on your resume if they add to your relevant experience and qualifications. Awards highlight your skills and expertise in a particular area, making them a valuable addition to your resume, especially if you’re an entry-level candidate who lacks relevant work experience.

To ensure your most impressive achievements stand out, apply the 10-year rule to your awards and honors. Any awards received more than 10 years ago should be left off your resume, unless they’re particularly relevant. This strategy ensures your application remains focused on your recent professional impact instead of past accolades.

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How to properly list awards on your resume

Here are the details you should always provide about awards on your resume:

• The award name
• Date/year received
• The purpose of the award, and the reason you won
• The scale of the award (e.g., how many nominees were there, or was the competition regional or international?)

When you make your resume, put your awards in the section where they’re most relevant. For example, list an education award in the education section and a professional award in the work experience section. This way, you’re embedding awards within their relevant context, providing evidence for your qualifications.

Types of awards to put on a resume

These are some of the best awards you can put on your resume:

Academic awards

Academic awards show an employer that you care about the quality of your work and have the drive to achieve at a high level. Not only do academic awards demonstrate your qualifications in a specific field, but they also highlight many of your other skills — for example, a strong work ethic and the ability to achieve long-term goals.

Here are some examples of academic achievement awards you can include on your resume:

Academic awards should be listed in the education section of your resume in bullet points under your school information.

Example

Professional awards

Professional awards demonstrate a variety of hard and soft skills, from solid team leadership capabilities to exceptional salesmanship. Professional awards can range from annual company awards to industry-wide recognition. Company awards highlight your value as an employee, while industry awards prove your expertise and authority.

Here are some of the professional awards you should put on your resume:

Professional awards can be listed in your work experience section as bullet points under the corresponding job. If you’ve received a prominent industry award, it’s worth featuring such an achievement in your resume introduction.

Example

Military awards

A wide range of military awards recognize those who demonstrate impeccable technical skills, dedication, or bravery. While these awards aren’t directly relevant to most civilian jobs, they highlight a variety of soft skills, such as leadership, loyalty, and teamwork.

If you’re applying for a military position, make sure to include them. If you’re applying for work in a civilian field, include only the awards that demonstrate skills and qualifications matching the job description.

Here are some military awards you can list on your resume:

List military awards in the work experience under the position in which the award was received, similar to professional awards.

Example

Other awards

You can list all kinds of other awards on your resume, from volunteer awards to community service awards. While not always directly relevant to a career, these awards are strong indicators of valuable skills that make you a desirable candidate to any employer.

Here are just a few examples of other types of awards you should include on your resume:

Regardless of the resume format you choose, many of these awards don’t naturally fall into the work experience or education sections of your resume. If this is the case, consider adding a separate awards section to your resume, like in the example below.

Example