Ehhhhh... Donations/bonuses are a nono, defnitely, as it'd hinder the balance of gameplay. CN:S bonuses, as stated before, would make this game a lot more serious than it would be fun. As it stands, the game is already recording those nations that are in the top 100 for each round.* Medals/forum decor/custom flags would be great for the top 3 or 5 nations. It wouldn't be too much, and it'd be motivational, again as said before. A good bit of bragging rights there. Then again, though, what are we going to define as 'winning'? Mind you, I'm well aware that boils down to who has the highest NS. But, in reality, at least half of the people there are only going to be there because of donations, which I already find to be ridiculous, unfair, and just a buzz kill. I know this isn't the place, but donations should be visible publicly in CN:TE. But, what would fit in here, is that donations should be shown on those nations that are recorded in the top 100, perhaps with an asterik as to how much money was donated by that nation. It'd be a good divide between who played well, and who decided to pay $20 for more pixels. Just my humble opinion.
* http://tournament.cybernations.net/tournament_winners.asp