Do you remember the first time someone congratulated you on something?
Maybe you finished a jog-a-thon, won an art competition, or placed third in the science fair.
You understand how much recognition matters. It’s not just students who benefit either.
Studies show that recognition improves morale, productivity, and retention in the workplace.
What’s a great way to reward a rockstar student or employee?
Create a custom award trophy!
The customization possibilities are endless, but you also need the right wording.
This process is a fun, creative challenge. You also get a chance to make someone’s day.
Don’t miss these award wording tips and ideas.
What’s the Accomplishment?
Let’s start from square one. What’s the reason behind the award? Is it for athletic ability, extraordinary sales, or the best student film of the year?
Asking questions gets the creative juices flowing. They inspire unique ideas instead of the same go-to sayings.
For example, suppose you’re running a school’s annual science fair. Off the bat, you already have a great reference — science!
What science-related wording ideas come to mind?
Here are a few tips to kick off your brainstorming:
- Relevant quotes from famous scientists
- STEM-related quotes on innovation
- Any innovation-inspired quotes
- Quotes about curiosity
- Quotes about hard work
- Quotes about discovery
- Animal-related quotes
- Science puns
You don’t have to write a novel on the award. Ideally, your write-up should be a short sentence or less. Look for quotes that say more with less.
Quotes are just one option.
For example, if you’re customizing an award for a first-grade science fair, you could try the following ideas:
- Congratulations, Future Scientist!
- Blast Off, Rocket Scientist!
- Winner of the Little Einsteins’ Award
- The Little Explorers Award for Curiosity
- 1-2-3, Blast Off!
You could create kids’ awards inspired by different animals. Owls are great because they represent wisdom. Birds represent ambition, while lions represent courage.
Creative Wording Ideas for Artists
Science-themed awards are just one example. Are you managing an art competition? There are countless ways to celebrate artists with words.
Remember, think of the purpose behind the award. If you’re rewarding a promising young artist, use words that symbolize ambition, the future, and possibility.
What if you’re customizing a lifetime achievement award for an artist?
Think of sayings that capture the artist’s body of work. What themes did the artist explore in their career? What impact did they have on their community?
Wise quotes from famous artists are great for lifetime achievement awards.
If you’re celebrating technical ability, look for quotes that discuss the craft of art. You’ll find many perceptive art quotes from world-famous artists.
Of course, you can really have fun with kids’ art awards. Again, think of animal-inspired art sayings or simple motivational quotes for little Picassos.
Here are a few examples kids love:
- Picasso the Penguin Congratulates You!
- Winner of the Future Da Vinci Award
- Paint the World!
- You Know Your Colors!
- Keep Imagining!
- Imaginations Open Doors
Even something as simple as “A Stroke of Genius” works! Remember, you don’t have much space. Choose strong, compelling words with impact.
Award Trophy Wording Ideas for Employees
Is the energy off in your office? Has productivity taken a dip? Have you seen an uptick in turnover?
You may have a morale problem on your hands. This occasion calls for customized awards. But what’s the best way to communicate your appreciation?
There are several ways to congratulate employees. Here are a few:
- Most improved
- Most helpful
- Highest monthly sales
- Innovation awards
- Problem-solving skills
- Leadership qualities
- Project management performance
- Top new employee
- Employee of the month
- Most accounts generated
This list is only the beginning. You could also reward employees for community involvement and other causes.
Get creative with your employee awards too. In fact, you don’t have to use a traditional trophy or plaque at all.
For example, you could engrave your wording onto acrylic awards that function as furniture. Plus, you have more space to expand on your wording. These awards look great in office suites.
Since you’re rewarding adults, not kids, you’ll need professional wording. Office puns still work. A simple “congratulations” is foolproof.
The following wording ideas also work:
- Office Rockstar
- Top Sales Star
- Promising New Employee of the Month
- The Sales Goal Smasher
- Best New Account Manager
- Most Improved Rockstar
- The Helpful Hand Award
- The Empathy and Kindness Award
Sayings inspired by growth, innovation, and determination are perfect for employee awards. You could also reward entire teams with large plaques. Plaques offer more room for inscriptions too.
Award Ideas for Improvement
Let’s expand more on improvement awards. Rewarding improvement recognizes progress and encourages growth.
Improvement doesn’t only apply to school and work. This approach also works in the following settings:
- Physical therapy offices
- Rehabilitation centers
- Prison programs
- At-risk youth programs
- Homeless rehabilitation programs
- Job training programs
- Learning centers
Motivational quotes are perfect for these awards. It’s important to encourage consistent strides.
Tips for Customizing Awards
Remember, award wording is permanent. Proofread your wording for grammar, spelling mistakes, and typos before creating your award. Fortunately, if you do make a mistake, you can always customize more awards.
You need to visualize how the wording will look on the award too. Not every quote or font complements an award. For example, you have more creative leeway with plaques than trophies.
Make sure the font is legible. Cursive may be too hard to read on kids’ awards, also known as “script.” Stick with arial, sans serif, open sans, and so forth.
There are plenty of programs that can help you craft professional award wording. You can also hire a copywriter and designer to create the inscription for you.
It’s a Celebration!
Let your employees, students, athletes, volunteers, participants, and patients know you appreciate their hard work. Customize an award trophy that encourages more outstanding results.
Do you need more ideas to inspire your project? Head over to the blog to find even more inspiration.
