U.K. award

OBE

This honor is part of the British honors system and often follows the name of someone recognized for significant contributions to arts, sciences, or public service. It stands for an order named after a chivalric title.

"U.K. award" points to the Order of the British Empire, a British honor system recognizing achievements. The abbreviation for one of its ranks is OBE, which stands for Officer of the Order of the British Empire—a common crossword answer for this type of clue. It’s often clued this way because "OBE" is short, well-known, and fits neatly in grids.