The Medal "For Distinguished Labour" was awarded to workers, farmers, specialists of the national economy, workers of science, culture, education, health and to other to citizens of the USSR, and in exceptional cases, to foreign nationals, for:^[1]

• an impact on work conducive to the growth of labour productivity and improvement in product quality, for achievements in the socialist competition;
• contribution to the construction or reconstruction of major economic projects;
• valuable innovations and rationalization proposals;
• successful work in the field of science, culture, literature, the arts, education, health, trade, catering, housing, utilities, public services, or in other areas of employment;
• active work in the communist education and training of young people, for success in public and social activities;
• achievements in the field of physical culture and sports.^[1]

The Medal "For Distinguished Labour" was worn on the left side of the chest and in the presence of other medals of the USSR, immediately after the Medal "For Labour Valour".^[3] If worn in the presence of awards of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.^[5]

The Medal "For Distinguished Labour" was a 32 mm in diameter circular medal struck from .925 silver with a raised rim on both sides. In the upper 3/4 of the obverse, a 21 mm high by 20 mm wide ruby-red enamelled image of the hammer and sickle over the relief inscription "USSR" (Russian: «СССР») in 3.5 mm high letters. In the lower quarter of the obverse below the hammer and sickle, the sunken and red enamelled inscription on two rows "FOR DISTINGUISHED LABOUR" (Russian: «ЗА ТРУДОВОЕ ОТЛИЧИЕ») in 2 mm high letters. On the otherwise plain reverse, the relief inscription on two rows of 2.5 mm high letters "LABOUR IN THE USSR - A MATTER OF HONOUR" (Russian: «ТРУД В СССР — ДЕЛО ЧЕСТИ»).^[2] The medal was numbered until 1945.^[4]

Early awards hung from a small triangular mount covered with a red ribbon with a threaded stub and screw for attachment to clothing.^[1] Following the 1943 decree,^[2] the Medal "For Labour Valour" was secured by a ring through the medal suspension loop to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount covered by a 24mm wide lilac coloured silk moiré ribbon with 2 mm wide yellow edge stripes.

The first investiture took place on 15 January 1939, when the Medal "For Distinguished Labour" was presented to 19 employees of the Kalinin armaments plant number 8 for exceptional service to the country in the creation and development of new weapons for the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army.

The individuals below were all recipients of the Medal "For Distinguished Labour".

• Composer, Hero of Socialist Labour, People's Artist of the USSR, Major General Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov
• Football goalkeeper and Olympic medalist Vladimir Aleksandrovich Astapovsky
• Olympic basketball medalist Sergei Alexandrovich Belov
• Minister of Civil Aviation of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labour, Chief Marshal of Aviation Boris Pavlovich Bugaev
• Women's World Chess Champion, first female Grandmaster, Nona Terent'evna Gaprindashvili
• Twice Hero of the Soviet Union cosmonaut Georgy Mikhaylovich Grechko
• Chief research fellow at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Science Academy Viktor Rafaelyevich Dolnik
• Ice dancer and coach Natalia Ilinichna Dubova
• Composer Aleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin
• Mathematician and academician Alexey Grigorevich Ivakhnenko
• Ice hockey defenceman, Olympic medalist Alexei Viktorovich Kasatonov
• Composer, actor, and operatic tenor singer Abdylas Maldybaev
• Former ice hockey player and coach Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov
• Archaeologist and historian Svetlana Alexandrovna Pletneva
• Physicist and mathematician Sergey Pavlovich Kurdyumov
• Swimmer, Olympic medalist Yelena Kruglova
• Honoured Master of Sport Alexander Borisovich Kozhukhov
• Composer, People's Artist of the USSR Lyudmila Lyadova
• Playwright Kasymaly Jantöshev

• Orders, decorations, and medals of the Soviet Union

• Legal Library of the USSR
• The Russian Gazette