The program I worked had a prize, a spiritual awakening.
If I'm sponsoring someone and they start talking medals, I'd have to wonder if they're listening.
My drinking buddy went into AA 2 yrs before me, he showed me a medallian (the only one I've ever seen) , he said a girl gave it to him and said "before you take a drink, give it back to me".
I can see the cleverness in her motivation.
My freind drank himself to death with half a gallon of vodka.
I wasn't involved in AA at the time, so I can only conclude either he wasn't working the steps or medallians don't do anything. Both?
Thoroughly have we seen them fail who rarely follow in our path.