Definition of "blue ribbon"

blue ribbon

noun
plural blue ribbons
1. The highest honor or prize awarded in some competitions and contests.
  Quotations
  These [scholarships] were the blue ribbon of the [college].
  1859, Frederic William Farrar, Julian Home
  Mr. Allen’s work, “Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” took home the blue ribbon in the fair’s contest for emerging digital artists — making it one of the first A.I.-generated pieces to win such a prize, and setting off a fierce backlash from artists who accused him of, essentially, cheating.
  2022 September 2, Kevin Roose, “An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy.”, in The New York Times‎
2. The emblem of the Order of the Garter.
3. The badge adopted by a teetotal society.
4. (Internet) A badge worn or displayed to advocate freedom from online censorship.
adjective
not comparable
1. Very superior in quality, style, or substance.
2. (Australia, informal, politics) pertaining to the Liberal Party, its supporters and regions.