For small competitions designed primarily to choose a single winner (e.g. elimination tournaments) it makes sense to recognize only the top few places; traditionally the top three places are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals. In larger competitions in which a large number of teams are reliably ranked, however (e.g. contests where each individual strives to achieve the highest score, independent from other competitors), it can make sense to recognize more than the top three: “top ten” lists are not uncommon. Unfortunately, there is no agree standard for medals beyond the top three spots. For the good of humanity, I now proclaim medal types for the top ten finishers in any contest:

  1. Gold
  2. Silver
  3. Bronze
  4. Iron
  5. Stone
  6. Glass
  7. Wood
  8. Leather
  9. Cloth
  10. Paper

You’re welcome.