The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 plus 5 letter word VICTORIA CROSS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
V
I
C
T
O
R
I
A
C
R
O
S
S
More clues leading to the result VICTORIA CROSS
- Award winner is carrying Oscar shakily
- In part of Australia, to interbreed is epitome of bravery
- One who defeats 1A getting award
- The most admired decoration left her unamused?
- Award winner – first clue in the puzzle!
- The person who triumphs with this clue gets an award
- Medal winner? Initial clue required?
- Award one successful with first clue!
- Medal for person succeeding with first clue
- Medal winner and I, with this kind of clue
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Medal" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case medal = victoria cross.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.