My last school had an award ceremony every six weeks. It was important to recognize all students in one way or another. The kids soon decided that getting an award wasn't really that special, and the teachers would find the certificates in the trash and on the floor at the end of the day.
I could tell that it meant more to a student to hear a meaningful compliment. I'm sure that encouraging, supportive words are remembered a lot longer than pieces of paper with the words "super student" printed on them. Saying "good job" or "way to go" doesn't cut it with a lot of kids. They need to hear supportive words that are meant only for them.
Children and adults know when someone is sincere. Principals who leave meaningful, positive notes in teachers' mailboxes can accomplish so much more than those who seem to look for things to criticize or say nothing at all. It just makes people strive to succeed when they know that their hard work is appreciated.
A personal note on this subject happened to me when my son was about eight. We were coming home from a wrestling competition, and he had a beautiful medal for coming in 13th place. My husband and I were bragging on him and his medal when he gave us a disgusted look and said, "There were only thirteen guys in the competition." He did not like wrestling, and we had told him he should stay the course and only quit at the end of the season. It would have been better if we had told him that we were proud that he had done his best and that we understood that wrestling was not his favorite sport.
With computers, it's easy to generate all sorts of certificates. Listening to kids and responding so that they know you care makes more sense to me.
