pp. 277-309

Whereas sociological study of awards and prizes usually works to clarify and explain their formation, this article shows how the various types of prizes awarded in a given market fit together and how they correspond to and rely on a particular social morphology. The dual morphology of prizes (they « mean » both internally and externally), here condensed into the concept of « prize architecture », is brought to light by means of an ethnographic study of the Bordeaux market and quantitative data on same. The Bordeaux market for « Grands crus » is analyzed in terms of four prize types, thereby revealing how this market is organized and the social hierarchies operative in it.