First, consider the occasion. Is this certificate going to kids, sports players, education, or government? Each category needs a different look since they’ll all have different interests in the overall look of the certificate.

Children love color, so instead of focusing on quality, look for something that will grab their attention. Certificate paper is available with various prints and colors, so choose something fun and age-appropriate, like balloons or fireworks in the background!

Sports players want something they’ll be able to hang on a wall or put in a plaque. Consider a nice quality paper with some foil embellishments. They probably won’t display their sports achievements forever, but they’ll certainly want their certificates to attract attention as long as they’re featured. Consider focusing your attention on the embellishments rather than the quality of the paper.

Graduates and government officials are going to keep their certificates forever. They have to be visually pleasing, and they have to last a long time. Education and government certificates merit the highest quality paper. They also need to look the most professional once the text and borders are complete. These are designed for long-term display, so courser paper is necessary for expanding the certificate’s lifespan. Remember, this is something they’ll keep forever, so make it something they’ll treasure forever.

No matter what the occasion, you can still manipulate the level of formality by choosing various certificate styles. Standard certificates are great for semi-formal events. Casual certificates are appropriate for kids, casual events, and sports certificates. Custom certificates are probably the best choice for formal events.

No matter what you choose, present it like you’re proud of it! Certificates are automatically a symbol of achievement and respect. Choose the style that works best for you and your students, employees, or athletes. Regardless of the design, the certificates you choose will represent a job well done for the recipient, and that is the most important part.

Birthdays have been celebrated for thousands of years, often with gifts or feasts or rites of passage. Birthdays were celebrated with an emphasis on astrology, which many ancient civilizations held in very high regard. Birthday celebrations followed a strict ritual, with very little room for variation. Today, the goal is usually to make birthdays as unique as possible. Non-material gifts are growing in popularity due to their ease of customization and variability. The combinations and creative possibilities are nearly endless.

Certificates are very adaptable, so they will easily suit anyone for any occasion. Colors and paper styles are entirely customizable: it’s easy to create a certificate that will be perfect for your loved-one by including age-relevant attributes or favorite colors, especially for newborns or significant birthdays. Also, various plaque styles will accent your certificate for beautiful presentation, an addition that will certainly attract admiration. Represent a significant time in your loved-one’s life with a custom certificate to stand as a placeholder for the memories that transpire during that specific year.

In today’s market, it’s tough to find a gift that’s original, thoughtful, and memorable. Certificates are all of these and more. Non-material gifts are particularly great gifts since they are the gifts that live in the mind. Your gift recipient will always be able to think back to this specific occasion and remember the certificate you created.

What you may not realize is that the reward doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary or materialistic. The key is to make sure to stay away from giving your children a bribe, because this could inadvertently teach them to only repeat the good behavior if they get rewarded.

Below are some suggestions for ways you can reward children’s achievements that are both monetary and non-monetary:

• Complimenting your children for what they have done.
• Surprising your children with a reward. This might be something like creating a lifelong memory by highlighting their achievement on a certificate and mounting it on the wall in an impressive plaque.
• Being available and ready to interact with your children to celebrate, such as making a special meal for him/her or holding a special activity.
• Sitting down with your children and asking them about how things are going with friends, school and activities.
• Encouraging good behavior.
• Baking something special.
• Letting your children pick out a new game or book.
• Throwing a party for your children and their friends.
• Having one parent take your children for a special day together.

Research shows that intrinsic rewards for children, praise leading to self-worth, are longer lasting and transferable, whereas extrinsic rewards are one-offs, non-transferable. So, we suggest you make sure to not overload your child with extrinsic rewards! Award certificates are a perfect balance between the two.

Below are several steps you can to take when writing an award acceptance speech to help prepare and reduce your stress.

1. It’s best to begin by finding out how much time you will have to give the speech so that you can plan your speech accordingly.
2. Once you know how much time you’ll have for the acceptance speech, write an introduction that expresses your appreciation. The first thing we suggest you say in any acceptance speech is “thank you” to those who are presenting you with the award and to all those who have nominated you.
3. Acknowledge those who helped you along the way to make it possible to achieve the accomplishment.
4. Write about the accomplishment and the process you went through that led up to your being recognized for the award.
5. Write about how you got involved with the project, company or organization. This is a good place to mention anything funny or inspirational that happened during the process.
6. Explain how this experience has changed your life for the better.
7. End the speech with a bang. Once again thank all those who are giving the award to you. We suggest you close with a statement that will make your audience remember you. Also, thank those again who gave the award to you so that they really feel appreciated!

Based on the time available to give the speech, once you have your speech prepared, practice what you have written to determine if you need to shorten it or lengthen it. We suggest you rehearse the speech a few times to make you feel comfortable with saying the words out loud. This will also help you memorize the speech so that you can deliver it with confidence You can keep a few note cards on hand during the acceptance of the award, but hopefully you’ll be familiar enough with the content that you can recite your heart-felt appreciation without reading it word for word.

1. Have off-site meetings. Showing up to the same place day in and day out can stifle creativity and create a stale work environment. By having an off-site meeting, you will see your employees re-energized and the creative energy flowing. A neutral setting allows everyone to get to know each other in a different light and breathe easier. Even if just for a lunch or quick game of pool, fresh surroundings will get the brain moving again and ideas will come more quickly and easily.
2. Share improvements. If you’ve seen a big change in the commitment in one of your employees, honor his/her dedication to your company with a certificate displayed in a classy plaque. We suggest you create an Employee of the Month award to honor employees who have shown the most dedication every month. Award personalized plaques for employees to keep in their office as well as plaques displayed in the lobby which are updated with the current and past employees of the month. We even suggest including a gift card or some other incentive to sweeten the deal.
3. Have a friendly competition. Get your company involved in some sort of challenge or competition against another organization. Everyone is at least a little competitive, and you’ll be surprised to see how quickly your company bands together to become the champions. Try organizing a kickball tournament or a fundraiser to entice the competitiveness of your team. Competitions within the company can also be a great morale booster. Create a plaque for “The Most Generous” when participating in fundraisers to show appreciation for the employee who gave the most or a plaque for “Most Valuable Player” in your kick ball tournament.
4. Make Friday a “theme-day.” Make Friday a Take-Your-Dog-To-Work Day or have everyone bring in a childhood photo. This will create a new fun environment and encourage conversations between coworkers. The companionship of bringing in employees’ dogs will get the whole office excited to introduce their furry friends to their coworkers. These theme-days don’t have to be every Friday; even just once a month will help relieve the tedium of everyday work and get employees energized about being able to share a part of their personal life with the office.
5.  When all else fails, give free food. If employee morale is really low, lighthearted attempts to lighten the mood and increase morale may be lost on them. However, free food never fails to bring a team together. They’ll be happy just to save a few bucks and spend some time out of the office conversing with coworkers on Pizza Fridays or Bagel Mondays.

1. Award for Best Actor – If Daniel Day-Lewis wins, he will be the only actor to have won three Oscars in this category.
2. Award for Best Actor – If Denzel Washington wins for Best Actor, he will be the first black actor to have won two Oscars in that category.
3. Award for Best Actress – If Emmanuelle Riva wins for “Amour,” she will be the oldest Best Actress winner in history, at 85. She has already set a record as the oldest Best Actress nominee.
4. Award for Best Actress – If nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”) she will also go into the record books as the youngest Best Actress. (The current youngest Best Actress is 21!)
5. Awards for acting – If all four acting nominees from “The Silver Linings Playbook” win, it would be the first time in Oscar history. If they lose all four, it will NOT be a first.
6. Award for Best Director – If “Beasts” director Benh Zeitlin, in his 30 wins, he’ll be the youngest Best Director winner in history.
7. Award for Best Picture – If “Amour” wins Best Picture, it would be the first film in the French language to do win Best Picture. Unfortunately, “Amour” is more likely to win Best Foreign Film. It also has chances to win awards for Best Director, Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay.
8. Award for Best Animated Feature – If “Frankenweenie” wins in this category, it will be the first time a stop-motion film that isn’t claymation or from Aardman Studios has won.
9. Award for Best Animated Feature – If “Brave” wins with co-director Brenda Chapman, she will be the first woman to win this award.

Best of luck to all of these nominees. We hope your Academy Awards dreams come true!

Observe these tips and we know you’ll have a successful and memorable awards ceremony!

1. Order award certificates from PresentaPlaque to be presented to the honorees.
2. Establish a plan.
3. Select a date and time for the ceremony that doesn’t conflict with the majority of attendees.
4. Select a location for the awards ceremony that is large enough to accommodate maximum attendance by attendees, coworkers, friends and family. Make sure there is accommodation for the disabled (e.g., ramps for wheelchairs, an interpreter for the hearing impaired).
5. Notify award recipients and their guests with invitations long enough in advance that they can plan ahead and let them know if they are expected to make some remarks upon receiving their award certificate.
6. Recruit a team of helpers to work as part of an Awards Ceremony Committee.
7. For each member of the Awards Ceremony Committee, assign specific tasks.
8. Arrange for a special person involved in the organization to present awards.
9. Invite a leader of the organization or special guest speak on a topic important to the attendees.
10. Publicize the award recipients and the upcoming ceremony as much as possible, including through press releases, where appropriate.
11. If possible, hire a musical ensemble to make the event extra-special.
12. Prepare a high quality brochure with photos, a letter from the leader and description of honorees’ accomplishments.
13. Arrange to have a professional photographer take photos of honorees receiving their award certificates.
14. Hire a professional caterer to prepare the food for the award recipients and their guests.
15. Decorate the room with festive decorations such as banners, balloons, flowers, etc.

Recognizing the importance of the program From Gangs to Jobs, Presenta Plaque wants to help congratulate graduates. The purpose of From Gangs to Jobs is to facilitate young adults’ transformation from a life of destruction into a productive life through caring relationships, life skills development and career placement. Participants are provided long term coaching, empowerment through job readiness skills, employer support and job placement follow-up.

Maurice Fitzgerald of Presenta Plaque explains, “This is an organization made up of people willing to stand by troubled young adults, believe in them, hope with them and never give up on them, even when times are hard. This is the kind of support that really resonates with us, so we are eager to help support them in their efforts.”

Participants in the program take classes including Introduction to Christ, Gang and Drug Avoidance, Job Preparation and Keeping It Real (covering topics such as character qualities, word studies and responsible fatherhood). Once participants complete the program, they have gained skills in workforce preparation, communication, interpersonal, life management, decision-making and customer service. All these skills are taught in the framework of Biblical principles.

Upon successful completion of the program, participants will be awarded a beautiful keepsake certificate mounted in a plaque from Presenta Plaque. This is a wonderful reminder of the hard work they have put in to achieve their transformation and an inspiration to continue along a productive path in life. This award will remain a point of pride for years to come as they continue serving as productive members of society.

About PresentaPlaque:

PresentaPlaque is a one stop shop for certificate plaques. All our plaques are sold in case quantity and ship from our factory directly to you. We have low wholesale prices with single plaques available at retail prices.

Presenta Plaque offers two basic styles. The first are Pocket Plaques which are pre-assembled and ready for your certificate or award to slip right into. The second Plaque Kit which comes with all the hardware and pieces needed to turn your certificate or award into a beautiful plaque. They are both easy to assemble and beautiful to look at.

For additional information, please call 800-824-2930 or visit http://www.presentaplaque.com/

• You can easily make your own certificates by following these steps. First, find a border that you like by either using clip art or downloading a pre-made border from somewhere like Success Certificates (http://www.successcertificates.com/). Enter in the standard information found on certificates. We suggest you use large cursive fonts or heavy block fonts near the top of the award and smaller fonts lower down on the certificate. Consider if it is appropriate to add more than one line to include several signatures. You can add photos or a meaningful quote to add a personal touch.
• Success Certificate(http://www.successcertificates.com/) lets you browse through thousands of customizable certificates after you sign up for a free account. They offer all types of award certificates including school certificates, sports certificates and many more. The awards come in PDF and Word formats. Success Certificates also has borders you can download as JPGs so you can change their size as needed.
• Southworth makes various types of paper including certificates, but they also offer a few free award certificates on their website at http://www.southworth.com/certificates/.  The certificate templates are offered in two different sizes. And, for those looking for fancy certificates with pictures and crisp borders, this is an excellent site to visit.
• 2020site.org provides several free award certificate templates. This site offers blue or brown certificates with borders and sections where you can type or print in personalized information. These certificates can be downloaded, edited and printed. Since the files are in PDF format, you will only be able to add text and print them immediately. Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to save the certificates to your computer.
• Microsoft Word has quite a good selection of certificate templates that you can use for free. Many are pre-installed with Word, but if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, then you can search Office Online (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/templates-presentations-spreadsheets-documents-calendars-more-FX101741961.aspx?pid=CL100632981033) to browse thousands of options created by both the Microsoft company as well as user-created award certificates.

Of course, you should take the time to place the award certificate in an elegant plaque that can be hung on the wall or displayed on a desk. Going that little extra mile can turn a generic printed award into something that will make the receiver proud. Presenta Plaque offers pre-assembled plaques or plaque kits, either of which will make the certificate a cherished award.

Tip 1: Gather all of the various awards you have received so that you can display them together. This may include certificates of achievement, medals, diplomas, trophies, ribbons, etc.

Tip 2: Order plaques from Presenta Plaque to display your certificates. Choose from one of our two styles:  Pocket Plaques, pre-assembled and ready for your certificate or award to slip right into. Or Plaque Kits which come with all the hardware and pieces needed to turn your certificate or award into a beautiful plaque. A grouping of these plaques will bring a polished style to the display.

Tip 3: Accent the plaques with gallery lights to create an impressive presentation of your awards.

Tip 4: To add interest to your display area, create shelves with adhesive hooks to display objects such as engraved trays, trophies or medals. Add drama and interest by creating shadowboxes to display on the shelves. Shadowboxes are ideal for grouping medals, ribbons and other memorabilia in one display case.

Tip 5: Find the wall studs to hang heavier plaques and awards by using a laser stud-finder. Use a level to make sure that plaques and shelves are level with the floor. You can use penny nails into the studs for lightweight items and screws with wall anchors for heavier items.