Deleting an award permanently removes some related records, while other related records stop the delete from going through. This article explains what happens in each case and why you might not be able to reuse the award identifier right away.
What It Controls
Deleting an award is permanent. If the award only has records that can be removed with it, Rhythm deletes the award and those related records together. If the award has records that must stay linked until you remove or unlink them, Rhythm refuses the delete.
Where to Find It
Open the award, go to Setup › Award Details, and choose Delete this Award. You’ll be asked to confirm because this action can’t be undone.
Prerequisites
You need access to the award’s Setup area to see this button. Rhythm doesn’t check any additional Awards permission after that.
What Gets Deleted with the Award
| Deleted along with the award | Blocks the delete instead |
|---|---|
| Application processes | Nominations |
| Applications | Nominees |
| Application fees | Recipient categories |
| Coupons belonging to the award | Recipients |
| Reference processes and references | Reviews |
| Review processes, rounds, and the award's review space |
Warning
If the award has any nominations, nominees, recipient categories, recipients, or reviews, Rhythm refuses the delete. The error says, “Unable to delete award,” but it doesn’t identify which records are blocking it, and it looks like any other failure. Support has confirmed that the delete is blocked whenever other records still have a relationship to the award, so remove or unlink those records before you delete the award.
Change Impact and How to Revert
There’s no undo. After you delete an award, the award and everything listed as deleted with it are gone. If you deleted the wrong award, you’ll need to recreate it, or clone it again from a backup or a similar award.
Tip
If you’re not sure whether an award is safe to delete, check its Nominations, Nominees, Recipients, Recipient Categories, and Reviews first. Those records block the delete instead of being removed automatically, so clearing them out is the fastest way to find out why Rhythm refused the delete.
Why You Might Not Be Able to Reuse the Identifier Right Away
After a successful delete, the award’s identifier stays reserved for roughly an hour. During that time, you can’t create or clone an award with the same identifier. If Rhythm refuses the create or clone, wait a while and try again.
If another award was cloned from the award you deleted, the clone still records the deleted award as its source internally. That has no visible effect today because nothing in Awards reads that reference, so you can safely delete a source award after cloning from it.
Permissions
To reach Delete this Award, you need access to the award’s Setup area. Rhythm doesn’t check a separate delete permission after that. See Awards Staff Permissions and Policies for how staff get to an award’s Setup area.
Validation and Errors
If the award has nominations, nominees, recipient categories, recipients, or reviews, Rhythm refuses the delete with a generic error and leaves the award unchanged. If the delete succeeds, you’re returned to the awards list with a confirmation.