Custom Promotional Awards V/s. Trophies - Custom Promotional Awards - Optamark

Neel Patel  April 4, 2022

Custom Promotional Awards V/s. Trophies: Which One Works Best?

The aspect of recognition and reward can be seen in various fields of work, institutions, education, and more. Incentives help in acknowledging the talent and hard work of the receiver, as well as allowing others who did not get a chance to win anything to feel motivated to strive to do better.

On the one hand, a good reward can work wonders; on the other hand, it can result in demotivation. The person’s incentive must be appealing and rewarding – otherwise, it defeats the whole purpose it should be representing. Therefore, when companies and organizations seek awards and trophies, they wish to get the best quality and the assets to customize it.

This is where Custom Promotional Awards come into play. Rewards should be able to communicate great quality and reflect on the ideologies and principles of the organization. Achievements feel like an achievement with the right tip, but it can be difficult to understand just the accurate decree of incentive to show.

Many people believe that awards and trophies are the same; however, this is far from correct. There are different types of rewards a company can indulge in for recognition for achievement; it can be gifts, coupons, awards, or trophies. There lie distinct differences between awards and medals, and learning those differences will help one understand which will more preferable for them.

Award or Trophies?

Award or Trophies - Custom Promotional Awards - Optamark

The biggest difference between awards and trophies can be calculated by factoring in the matter of competition. In essence, awards are usually given as a title or a recognition for a person’s hard work. Whereas, when it comes to trophies – there is competition involved, in which several people are doing the same tasks or working towards the same goal, and one of them will come out as the recipient of the trophy.

Awards cover a larger basis pared to trophies, where the individual’s qualities, talents, a, and efforts are considered. They are usually rewarded in certificates, titles, or monetary incentives. Awards are generally given concerning the recipient’s work over time rather than a particular task being done within a limited time.

As mentioned above, awards are not limited to a one-time reward and work –the inclination is towards a bigger scale wherein the award can show a long-term achievement of the recipient. A popular example of what awards entail is The Pulitzer Prize, America’s premier prize in literature, journalism, and musical composition. This award constitutes a certificate, a medal, and a monetary prize of $10,000.

Trophies are usually a means of announcing a clear winner. They are rewards for those who come out undefeated or with the best work out of competition. Trophies generally come in the form of statues, symbolic figures, custom engravings, tabloids, and even monetary incentives.

They can also come in different sizes or shapes – the grander the trophy in terms of design and size, the higher the achievement level of the recipient. In light of this, the award is a term that is also used to denote something that is of the utmost quality.

Whether you wish to use Custom Promotional Awards or trophies as a reward, the decision-making factor depends on the type of achievement being rewarded. If there has been a competitive environment with highs and lows of winning and losing, then using trophies is the best course of action – where others who participated but didn’t quite reach the top can also be rewarded. If there is a need to commemorate the work of someone who has excelled in their performance, then awards would be more appropriate.

How to customize awards or trophies?

After deciding which incentives would be better suited for the reward or recognition purpose, it’s important to understand which factors make an award or trophy appealing. If the reward you receive for your work does not meet the recipient’s expectations, it becomes a void. Here are some of the major factors to consider when customizing an award or a trophy;

1. The Design

the Design - Custom Promotional Awards - Optamark

It’s essential that the design of the trophy or award is unique and befitting for the ideology and aesthetic that your business follows. When it comes to the trophy, the most important matter is the design of the statue – it can be a cricketer if the competition is cricket, it can be an extravagant style with stones, and as such.

However, Awards need to have a completely different approach – since most awards come hand-in-hand with a trophy and a certificate. It’s important that the credentials fit with the decree of the achievement and that the style of the font and the border is neither too fancy nor too plain. The overall color, motifs, and font used for the certificate is a highly essential matter to consider

2. The Material

the material - Custom Promotional Awards - Optamark

Awards should have a thick and sturdy enough paper that does not easily tear and does not look flimsy when they are in the form of certificates. If the recipient is given a title, it can also be awarded through a fabric material certification.

Similarly, in the case of trophies, it is necessary to ensure that you do not make statues or sculptures out of soft material – otherwise, it could break. Moreover, the decorative pieces on the trophy should also be of a quality good enough to look extravagant and not too plain.

3. The Plaque

the plaque - Custom Promotional Awards - Optamark

A great middle ground between the certificate and the trophy is the plaque –it has enough space for the description of the title that the recipient is being recognized with and will give accessibility for the person who customizes to instill their unique ideas and aesthetics into the design of the plaque.

This item can be used as both a trophy and an award – since it encompasses the recognition capacity of both incentives

Final Thoughts!

The question remains; awards or trophies – and the answer to that question lies like the recipient’s achievement. The most important thing to consider is that the reward is appealing enough for the individual to feel rewarded – and that the title given to them is perfectly adequate.