I’ve finished everywhere from 1st overall to 160th at matches big enough to have a prize table. I’ve never pulled anything off a table that had a retail value of less than $150 and only once took something that I had no conceivable use for, mostly because it was the last thing there. A free Thunderbeast suppressor, Chassis systems from XLR AND MDT both, muzzle brakes, reloading supplies, gift cards to Scheels, scope mounts, enough 30% vortex certs to wallpaper a room, Foundation, Wiebad, and on and on. So, participation prizes? I guess that depends on what you consider to be a “real” prize.
The fact that you used the phrase “real prize” to make a value judgment about someone else’s experience tells us all a lot about which guy you are at the match and at the prize table.
It’s Lagniappe as the Cajuns would say. A little something extra. And really a far cry from making tiny little trophies for each competitor, in the spirit of “participation trophies”.
