n.

an emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.)

"they checked everyone's badge before letting them in"

any feature that is regarded as a sign of status (a particular power or quality or rank)

"wearing a tie was regarded as a badge of respectability"

MOOC Badging and the Learning Arc
Digital badging at The Open University: recognition for informal learning
Integrating workstation computer with badging system
Regulation inside government: re-badging the Citizen's Charter
Dependency, Shame and Belonging: Badging the Deserving Poor, c.1550–1750
Joining the club: the ideology of quality and business school badging
Organizational Differentiation through Badging: Investors in People and the Value of the Sign
Recognising Informal Elearning with Digital Badging: Evidence for a Sustainable Business Model.
Personalized workplace learning: An exploratory study on digital badging within a teacher professional development program
Open badges for education: what are the implications at the intersection of open systems and badging?