'awardee' originates from the English word 'award' combined with the suffix '-ee', which indicates a person who is the recipient of an action.

'award' transformed into 'awardee' by adding the suffix '-ee', which is used to form nouns indicating a person who is the object or beneficiary of the action.

Initially, it meant 'a person who receives an award', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.