It is less obvious once the virtue in question is something like “stood up for the victims of injustice, even facing danger for it”.
Similar idea is used in “Biela vrana” (white crow) award in Slovakia: people are nominated for “heroic and socially beneficial actions”. For example, people getting the award in 2014:
a former inspector of National Forestry Centre; revealed serious violations of the law in public procurement for more than half a million euro. The head of the inspected procurement committee became her director during the inspection; after refusing his request for modification of the inspection results she was fired, and today she is unemployed.
a pediatrician at Nitra University Hospital discovered erasing data from her patient’s health card. After notifying management, she was bullied at her job; the hospital management denied erasing of the data. Only after pressure from media, the head of pediatry was compulsorily retired and the pediatrician could return to her original department.
an author of poetry books and radio journalist. During communism he lived under constant supervision of secret service, often detained and interrogated. He continues publishing the books and magazines to these days.
Sometimes there is a good end, sometimes there is a bad end, but these people displayed virtue in face of danger.
The difference from what you propose is that someone else nominated them for the award. That is a good idea because nominating oneself could create perverse incentives (“I hope this gets really bad because that would increase my chance of winning the heroic award”) or lead to brigading (“you have to give the award to our friend, otherwise we will slander your jury as unfair”). In this situation, the awarded people are heroes, but it is not suggested that they are necessarily the greatest heroes in the country; only that they are valid examples.
EDIT: If most people who display the virtue do not receive the award, that is a feature, not a bug. It removes a possible accusation that those people displayed the virtue strategically in order to receive the award and any associated benefits (such as fame).
Similar idea is used in “Biela vrana” (white crow) award in Slovakia: people are nominated for “heroic and socially beneficial actions”. For example, people getting the award in 2014:
a former inspector of National Forestry Centre; revealed serious violations of the law in public procurement for more than half a million euro. The head of the inspected procurement committee became her director during the inspection; after refusing his request for modification of the inspection results she was fired, and today she is unemployed.
a pediatrician at Nitra University Hospital discovered erasing data from her patient’s health card. After notifying management, she was bullied at her job; the hospital management denied erasing of the data. Only after pressure from media, the head of pediatry was compulsorily retired and the pediatrician could return to her original department.
an author of poetry books and radio journalist. During communism he lived under constant supervision of secret service, often detained and interrogated. He continues publishing the books and magazines to these days.
Sometimes there is a good end, sometimes there is a bad end, but these people displayed virtue in face of danger.
The difference from what you propose is that someone else nominated them for the award. That is a good idea because nominating oneself could create perverse incentives (“I hope this gets really bad because that would increase my chance of winning the heroic award”) or lead to brigading (“you have to give the award to our friend, otherwise we will slander your jury as unfair”). In this situation, the awarded people are heroes, but it is not suggested that they are necessarily the greatest heroes in the country; only that they are valid examples.
EDIT: If most people who display the virtue do not receive the award, that is a feature, not a bug. It removes a possible accusation that those people displayed the virtue strategically in order to receive the award and any associated benefits (such as fame).