The Special Bonus Award is a 1000 XP bonus granted to a character who is brought back to life (does not include ring of regeneration).1) This is an official, optional rule.
Demon Idol recommends that the rule be put into place by around the time some characters in the campaign are nearing mid level (8th or 9th). It will not harm the game to put it into place right from the get-go, if you desire, as long as you are charging reasonable costs for raise dead, as per DMG 104.