A prize identifies a choice made by particular judges under particular conditions.

An award is a record of a decision, not a measurement of worth. Particular people, in a particular mood, with a particular set of entries in front of them and a deadline, picked one. Change any of those conditions and the name on the certificate changes too, which is worth remembering both when you win and when you do not.

Take the prize seriously as evidence that someone valued the work, and no more seriously than that. If you did not get it, resist rewriting your own opinion of the thing to match the verdict. Judges are readers, and readers vary.