Shuttle stack pins, are they really an award?

[p51]

When I completed SC, my team was lined up for winning the Space Bowl and then for the best Mission Patch. I can't recall which of these things it was for, but we were all given a small silver colored shuttle stack pin. I later saw the same pin for sale in the gift shop.
Was this really an award or do all campers these days get one? I'm just curious. I put mine on my lanyard, which I assume is what most people do (I have a few contractor pins just like it anyway).

[Hotdog]

Yep, that's always been the award as far back as I can tell ya. My teams won Best Mission, Best Mission Patch (twice), and won the SpaceBowl and I have a pin for each one. Although one year it wasn't the stack, just an orbiter by itself (I'm guessing they were out of the shuttle stack pins that week or something).

[SpaceCanada]

We had those awards too, with the pins. Ours were orbiters with stack, in pewter. I picked up an orbiter pin somewhere else, no stack. Not sure where I got it though.

[p51]

Yep, that's always been the award as far back as I can tell ya. My teams won Best Mission, Best Mission Patch (twice), and won the SpaceBowl and I have a pin for each one.

Then Steve and I were cheated, we each only got one! Seriously, we each got a Astrotech t-shirt as well, so it's no big deal. I was just curious. But then again, the other team only got the 'best shuttle mission' award and they got a shirt and a pin, too...

[Conan]

I have a few of those. One without the stack and I think, 2 with. I only got them at the Parent/Child programs and I did get two the year that we won two awards. Also got a really nice medal for "Outstanding Astronaut Trainee" which they said was the top award that year. Two other teams got "Right Stuff" medals, which is what I thought the top medal was and which I think sounds much better.

[gt0163c]

I don't remember pins ever being awards when I've been to camp.
When I went for adult ASA there were t-shirts for the team that won Space Bowl and the team that did the best at Area 51. There was also a medal given to the Right Stuff winner. We were the only adult team there that week (and the couple of youth teams were on a different schedule) so perhaps that's why no best mission patch and best mission awards were given.

When I went to Level I and Level II I remember the Right Stuff medal, best mission patch, best mission, best space station design and Space Bowl winners. But don't remember anything specific being given out for those awards other than the Right Stuff medal. But maybe that was just because that was the only award that anyone on my team/my team ever won.

[street]

They are given for Best Mission, generally. They have been given for other awards in the past, but things change. The ones in the gift shop do not have the full stack.

[p51]

The ones in the gift shop do not have the full stack.

I saw the exact same pin for sale in the gift shop when I was there, in small plastic boxes hanging from pegs on a turnstyle type rack near where the patches are. I even held mine up on my lanyard to compare it and it was the same one.