WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

honorable mention
    n 1: an official recognition of merit; "although he didn't win
         the prize he did get special mention" [syn: mention,
         honorable mention]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

19 Moby Thesaurus words for "honorable mention":
   accolade, acknowledgment, appreciation, blurb, boost, buildup,
   citation, commendation, eulogy, good word, hype, kudos, mention,
   plug, praise, promotion, puff, recognition, tribute