blue ribbon

plural blue ribbons

1. The highest honor or prize awarded in some competitions and contests.

   Mom's strawberry jam won the blue ribbon at the Holland County Fair three years running.

   2 more examples

   These [scholarships] were the blue ribbon of the [college].

   1859, Frederic William Farrar, Julian Home

   Mr. Allen’s work, “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” took home the blue ribbon in the fair’s contest for emerging digital artists — making it one of the first A.I.-generated pieces to win such a prize, and setting off a fierce backlash from artists who accused him of, essentially, cheating.

   2022 September 2, Kevin Roose, “An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

2. The emblem of the Order of the Garter.
3. The badge adopted by a teetotal society.
4. InternetA badge worn or displayed to advocate freedom from online censorship.

alternative blue-ribbon

1. idiomaticnot comparableHighly superior in quality, style, substance, prestige, etc.

   A blue ribbon jury of accomplished artists will choose the best three entries.

   1 more example

   The governor selected a cadre of blue ribbon social scientists to serve on her poverty task force.

2. Australiainformalnot comparablegovernmentPertaining to the Liberal Party, its supporters and regions.