Reddit is one of the most-visited websites in the world, and one of the strengths of the platform is the very active community. Handing out awards to other users (or Redditors) is also a thing that happens fairly often on Reddit, and the ‘wholesome award’ is among the most popular ones out there. But what exactly is the wholesome award on Reddit, what does it mean, how much does it cost and why has it become a kind of meme? Let’s take a look at the secrets of Reddit’s wholesome (seal of approval) award.
What is a Wholesome Award on Reddit?
On Reddit, it happens fairly often that great or funny posts are awarded with – well, with awards!
People who read a post or comment made by another user can choose to award that piece of content with a medal (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or even the coveted Reddit Platinum Award) that is then displayed on that post. It’s a token of appreciation you can show to your fellow Redditors for posting great content.
The wholesome award is actually a special award on Reddit and one that is used when someone spots a wholesome, cute, or good-hearted post. Here’s what Reddit themselves have to say about their cutest award available:
As you can see, the wholesome award is basically an adorable picture of a seal. You’re supposed to hand these out “when you come across a feel-good thing”, or when you want to support the Redditor you’re giving an award to.
That person won’t receive anything (they won’t get Reddit Coins or Reddit Premium, for example), but the wholesome award will be displayed on their post/comment for everyone to see.
Getting one of these can definitely warm up your heart a little bit!
You’ll also notice in the gifting window that there’s an option to gift a wholesome award on Reddit anonymously. In other words, spreading some kindness in secret is definitely possible.
How much does a wholesome award cost?
What is a wholesome award worth, you might wonder? At this moment, handing one of these out will cost you exactly 125 Reddit Coins. If you haven’t heard about Reddit Coins, they’re basically Reddit’s virtual currency that you can spend to buy awards for others. Including this wholesome award, of course!
When we’re talking about the value of a wholesome award in real money, it depends on how many coins you’re willing to purchase at one time.
When you purchase 1,800 coins for $5.99 (USD), the most popular option, a wholesome award will cost you roughly 41 cents ($0.41). You can check out all the Reddit Coins packages on the official page.
There is also a cheaper wholesome seal of approval award with a gold look that costs 30 Reddit coins, worth about 10 cents. However, this is locked behind the Reddit Premium subscription and isn’t accessible to free Reddit users. As such, it is also much less common than the regular wholesome award.
Premium subscribers also receive 700 coins to spend every month they stay subscribed.
Wholesome awards are also being used incorrectly as a meme
Despite the fact that the wholesome award was designed to give to feel-good, happy, uplifting posts or as a way of supporting someone going through a tough time, some users on Reddit have actually turned the wholesome seal award into a bit of a meme by giving wholesome awards to cruel, tragic or mean posts.
It’s one of the examples of why some people consider Reddit to be a bit of a toxic community and is also a reason why people have stopped using Reddit altogether. On certain posts, it can certainly be considered to be very disrespectful and it definitely gives Reddit a cringe reputation as well.
Numerous Redditors have called for the removal of the wholesome award because of its wrong (and disrespectful) usage, but the reward is still available.
For example, a picture of a car crash would be given with a wholesome award, which is clearly not what the award is meant for. Over time, this has become a meme, and wholesome awards are often given to posts that don’t actually deserve it.
The wrong use of wholesome awards started when Reddit was handing out daily free awards in 2021. All active Redditors often received a free wholesome award to hand out, and a large number of them decided to award posts that were totally undeserving of a feel-good and happy award.
The behavior seemed to stick, even when the wholesome award became paid again.
Summary
The wholesome award on Reddit is absolutely adorable and was made with the best intentions. It’s meant to be used on heartwarming, feel-good, and positive posts as a way to further spread the kind and positive vibes.
However, the wholesome award does have a bit of a tainted reputation nowadays because it has turned into a meme. Some Redditors decide to do the complete opposite and give a wholesome award to posts that aren’t wholesome in the slightest. This probably makes it one of the more controversial awards on Reddit.
