Just give all the kids that were not elected a “participation trophy.”
There's a car commercial running with NFL games ... father and son leaving athletic field, dialog indicates that it's at the end of the season, and son's team won all their games. Son has a "participant" trophy. Father removes the "participant" plaque and writes in "CHAMPS" ... fade ...
I don't recall what car they're advertising, but the commercial itself is a hopeful sign.