awarding

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of award.

   The judges are awarding the grand prize after the final round.

   The foundation is awarding scholarships to dozens of applicants this year.

   Note

   The -ing form does double duty, as participle (the judges are awarding prizes) and as gerund (awarding prizes takes time). Either way it keeps the verb's objects, so you can be awarding the prize or awarding a winner the prize. Once it takes of and a plural, awardings, it has become the noun for the act. In British exam marking it also means giving marks for a correct answer.

2. 2
   noununcountable

   The act of formally giving a prize, honor, or recognition to someone.

   The awarding of the literary prize took place at a formal ceremony.

   Critics questioned the fairness behind the awarding of this year's top honor.

   Similarpresentation, conferral, bestowal

   Note

   Here the word names a ceremony as much as a decision, and it can be counted. Graesser, Gernsbacher and Goldman's Handbook of Discourse (2003) lists awardings of social recognition beside commencements, funerals and dedications as solemn events with printed programs. In the singular it usually takes of, as in the awarding of the medal, rather than a direct object.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   The act of granting something, such as a contract, through an official or formal decision.

   The awarding of the defense contract followed months of competitive bidding.

   Disputes over the awarding of the grant delayed the project for weeks.

   Similargranting, allocation

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