Panhellenic Games are described as agones stephanites, a term denoting that the prize was a wreath made of branches of trees or plants. At Olympia, the prize was the kotinos, a crown from the wild olive that grew next to the temple of Zeus. Respectively, at the Pythian Games, victors were awarded laurel wreaths; at the Isthmian Games the winners received a wreath of pine and at the Nemean Games they were given a crown of wild celery —plants associated with the god worshipped in each sanctuary and the relevant myths concerning the foundation of the games. By contrast, local games were chrematites and offered monetary rewards so as to attract a large number of eminent athletes. In the Homeric epics, cauldrons and tripods, highly valuable metal vessels were given to the victors, while in historical times, the Panathenaic amphorae containing the exquisite olive oil of the Attic land constitute a known example.

In the ancient Olympic Games, there was only one victor per event that received the kotinos. At the end of the competition, the winner, crowned with a red band, holding a palm branch, went on a lap of honour among the spectators’ cheers. The kotinos was awarded to all victors most likely on the last day of the Games in front of the temple of Zeus. Victory was seen as a significant accomplishment, as it implied the gods’ favour, glory to the athlete, but also his homeland, therefore, every city-state granted privileges and honours to those who excelled in the Games. Their fame was spread across the entire Hellenic world; poets praised their achievements and sculptors created their statues, immortalizing their name.