Why are there so many awards in academia in the US compared with academia in France?
I have half french kids and I have spent a lot of my life in France and in the Midwest.  The answer is easy - culture.  

Americans love recognizing everything.  Participation awards, so many awards that anyone that is pretty good at something will surely get one.  My 4th grader at the time got a ribbon for 4th place in a race and his French grandmother said, "Why?"  She didn't even understand it.  

In France if you win something you are really at the top of your game and its a big deal.  They generally don't placate to keeping self-esteem high, even with children.   Things are more regulated, committees generally mean something and there isn't a lot of duplication.  Now I see this slowly changing in France over the years and it becoming more westernized.

Your answer is just, different culture.  England is a bit the same as America except they seem to have accreditation companies and societies that also allow you to "pay" for an award.