Michael, you're splitting hairs here. Yes, we know the VC is "awarded" but we also know that "ain't" is improper grammar even though it's widely accepted. Ain't it?
Who knows what words will be common a hundred years from now? Hey, some old terms even made it into the dictionary, words such as "turncoat". Many years ago, somebody over here started calling the pavement a sidewalk. That probably put a few die hard Elizabethans into cardiac arrest. Sidewalk?
This (your) forum is a forum for those with an interest, whether it be serious or passing, in things military and Canadian during the previous century. Some of the members are obviously well-educated and extremely articulate. Some are virtually illiterate. (Or their keyboard is is in dire need of a software upgrade.)
Why impose standards on all? Each has something to offer. That's what makes this forum work.
Every member has something to contribute. That's why folks frequent this forum. We all gain from each other.
If you want to differentiate between "awarded" and "won" then may I respectfully suggest that you inscribe the appropriate wording beside an image of the appropriate medal on your website.
Speaking of images, in this day and age most of us know what an "image" is on the web. A hundred years ago or fewer, one would have conjured up an "image" as something out of the Sixth Sense. In fact, one might have been burned at the stake for mention of an image.
I still maintain we're not ready for the Language Gestapo. Firewood ain't cheap these days.