diff --git a/app/controllers/concerns/toggle_award_emoji.rb b/app/controllers/concerns/toggle_award_emoji.rb
index 036777c80c19f1edf6a29e19b4d53f91b6d6262b..b343bb611e09283c883cf07c033c8a999bf21908 100644
--- a/app/controllers/concerns/toggle_award_emoji.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/concerns/toggle_award_emoji.rb
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ module ToggleAwardEmoji
   def toggle_award_emoji
     name = params.require(:name)
 
+    return render json: { ok: false } unless awardable.user_can_award?(current_user, name)
+
     awardable.toggle_award_emoji(name, current_user)
     TodoService.new.new_award_emoji(to_todoable(awardable), current_user)
 
diff --git a/app/models/concerns/awardable.rb b/app/models/concerns/awardable.rb
index 800a16ab246c83db03d993b6b45154bab80ab987..e25420c0edf1792e90df2e8fac9edf23bbcc93e5 100644
--- a/app/models/concerns/awardable.rb
+++ b/app/models/concerns/awardable.rb
@@ -59,6 +59,15 @@ module Awardable
     true
   end
 
+  def awardable_votes?(name)
+    AwardEmoji::UPVOTE_NAME == name || AwardEmoji::DOWNVOTE_NAME == name
+  end
+
+  def user_can_award?(current_user, name)
+    name = normalize_name(name)
+    !(self.user_authored?(current_user) && awardable_votes?(name))
+  end
+
   def awarded_emoji?(emoji_name, current_user)
     award_emoji.where(name: emoji_name, user: current_user).exists?
   end
diff --git a/app/models/concerns/issuable.rb b/app/models/concerns/issuable.rb
index 8e11d4f57cf41c6e81bdf793bfa12978bed7745d..22231b2e0f03a20750862f2880d64d4fae6c63a5 100644
--- a/app/models/concerns/issuable.rb
+++ b/app/models/concerns/issuable.rb
@@ -196,6 +196,10 @@ module Issuable
     end
   end
 
+  def user_authored?(user)
+    user == author
+  end
+
   def subscribed_without_subscriptions?(user)
     participants(user).include?(user)
   end
diff --git a/app/models/note.rb b/app/models/note.rb
index f2656df028b2a282573f6b884714a37a7104ae1b..b94e3cff2cec8fe9232fb550fe2e932117a1f286 100644
--- a/app/models/note.rb
+++ b/app/models/note.rb
@@ -223,6 +223,10 @@ class Note < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
 
+  def user_authored?(user)
+    user == author
+  end
+
   def award_emoji?
     can_be_award_emoji? && contains_emoji_only?
   end
diff --git a/lib/api/award_emoji.rb b/lib/api/award_emoji.rb
index 2efe7e3adf3474888034daa4a7233148d190afd5..7c22b17e4e507a9b5397989a05c2e19d668a21d6 100644
--- a/lib/api/award_emoji.rb
+++ b/lib/api/award_emoji.rb
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ module API
           post endpoint do
             required_attributes! [:name]
 
-            not_found!('Award Emoji') unless can_read_awardable?
+            not_found!('Award Emoji') unless can_read_awardable? && can_award_awardable?
 
             award = awardable.create_award_emoji(params[:name], current_user)
 
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ module API
         can?(current_user, ability, awardable)
       end
 
+      def can_award_awardable?
+        awardable.user_can_award?(current_user, params[:name])
+      end
+
       def awardable
         @awardable ||=
           begin
diff --git a/spec/features/issues/award_emoji_spec.rb b/spec/features/issues/award_emoji_spec.rb
index 6eb04cf74c523db554b8574e3eaab06ca8eb85de..79cc50bc18eaa4b97baebf2357bddd23c77e01b7 100644
--- a/spec/features/issues/award_emoji_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/issues/award_emoji_spec.rb
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ describe 'Awards Emoji', feature: true do
   describe 'Click award emoji from issue#show' do
     let!(:issue) do
       create(:issue,
-             author: @user,
              assignee: @user,
              project: project)
     end
diff --git a/spec/requests/api/award_emoji_spec.rb b/spec/requests/api/award_emoji_spec.rb
index 73c268c0d1ef482835ee9f08f1d7cdfb98a58e72..981a679188105809ec9cebb55c43c15a867fba47 100644
--- a/spec/requests/api/award_emoji_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/api/award_emoji_spec.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ describe API::API, api: true  do
   include ApiHelpers
   let(:user)            { create(:user) }
   let!(:project)        { create(:project) }
-  let(:issue)           { create(:issue, project: project, author: user) }
+  let(:issue)           { create(:issue, project: project) }
   let!(:award_emoji)    { create(:award_emoji, awardable: issue, user: user) }
   let!(:merge_request)  { create(:merge_request, source_project: project, target_project: project) }
   let!(:downvote)       { create(:award_emoji, :downvote, awardable: merge_request, user: user) }
@@ -115,6 +115,8 @@ describe API::API, api: true  do
   end
 
   describe "POST /projects/:id/awardable/:awardable_id/award_emoji" do
+    let(:issue2)  { create(:issue, project: project, author: user) }
+
     context "on an issue" do
       it "creates a new award emoji" do
         post api("/projects/#{project.id}/issues/#{issue.id}/award_emoji", user), name: 'blowfish'
@@ -136,6 +138,12 @@ describe API::API, api: true  do
         expect(response).to have_http_status(401)
       end
 
+      it "returns a 404 error if the user authored issue" do
+        post api("/projects/#{project.id}/issues/#{issue2.id}/award_emoji", user), name: 'thumbsup'
+
+        expect(response).to have_http_status(404)
+      end
+
       it "normalizes +1 as thumbsup award" do
         post api("/projects/#{project.id}/issues/#{issue.id}/award_emoji", user), name: '+1'
 
@@ -155,6 +163,8 @@ describe API::API, api: true  do
   end
 
   describe "POST /projects/:id/awardable/:awardable_id/notes/:note_id/award_emoji" do
+    let(:note2)  { create(:note, project: project, noteable: issue, author: user) }
+
     it 'creates a new award emoji' do
       expect do
         post api("/projects/#{project.id}/issues/#{issue.id}/notes/#{note.id}/award_emoji", user), name: 'rocket'
@@ -164,6 +174,12 @@ describe API::API, api: true  do
       expect(json_response['user']['username']).to eq(user.username)
     end
 
+    it "it returns 404 error when user authored note" do
+      post api("/projects/#{project.id}/issues/#{issue.id}/notes/#{note2.id}/award_emoji", user), name: 'thumbsup'
+
+      expect(response).to have_http_status(404)
+    end
+
     it "normalizes +1 as thumbsup award" do
       post api("/projects/#{project.id}/issues/#{issue.id}/notes/#{note.id}/award_emoji", user), name: '+1'