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award ceremonies

How to Graciously Accept an Award Plaque at an Awards Presentation

by Presenta Plaque | on Jul 01, 2013 | No Comments

Whether you are at the Oscars or a local community event, graciously accepting an award is important.  Otherwise, those present may get the impression that you do not truly deserve the award.  How do you want to be remembered—as rude and insensitive or as humble and deserving?  Follow these tips to achieve the latter!

Act Humble: After receiving an award, celebrate with friends and family after the ceremony, not at the podium.  You should never act as if you were the obvious choice for the award. The most humble winners seem like they never expected to win. Unless you’re sure it’s the right setting, you should not celebrate during the ceremony like you had just scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Show Respect: Gloating does not look good on anyone.  If you were nominated with other people, thank your fellow nominees.  Even if you’re not fond of them, paying respect to your competitors is a sign of maturity.  Teasing or mocking competitors as you accept an award will seem unprofessional, petty, and ultimately juvenile.

Show Gratitude: Remember to address the people who gave you the award in the first place.  Thank them for their support. Show that you feel honored to be the recipient.  Almost all of the winners at the Academy Awards thank the decision-makers.  Everyone knows the line “I’d like to thank the Academy!” for a reason.  Manners are important!

Look Happy: Just because you can’t jump up and down while screaming doesn’t mean you can’t look happy! Show the audience that you are glad to be receiving the award.  Show a genuine smile; don’t fake it. No one wants to see a coveted award go to someone who looks miserable about it.

If you follow these basic tips, you’ll look like a seasoned award-winner! Don’t stop following these tips the moment the ceremony ends though.  Continue to act humble and gratified even when someone asks about the award on display in your home years later.  Etiquette is essential.  Graciousness shows maturity, and people will have a favorable opinion of you.  Now go get that award!

Nine Ways the 2013 Academy Awards Could Make History

by Presenta Plaque | on Feb 20, 2013 | No Comments

Everyone wants to make their awards ceremony special, but after 85 years, how can this year’s Academy Awards stand out?

  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!

 

15 Tips for Hosting a Successful Awards Ceremony

by Presenta Plaque | on Feb 05, 2013 | No Comments

Whether you’re holding an awards ceremony at the conclusion of your daughter’s soccer club season, to honor class graduates, to pay tribute to volunteers who have gone above or beyond the call of duty or for any other reason you’re looking to honor people, planning the award ceremony carefully will ensure the event goes smoothly and everyone gets the most out of the experience.

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.

Tips for Implementing a Recognition Program

by Presenta Plaque | on Oct 16, 2012 | No Comments

It’s a nice thought to imagine that implementing a system that supports recognition is as easy as giving credit to the most valuable employee, but executing such a system takes creativity and careful thought. It’s not just about awarding the shining star who does something particularly spectacular. It’s about recognizing the strengths of each individual supporting your team, making sure that their distinct merits don’t fade away behind the glow of team effort, and telling someone just how much you appreciate them in the day-to-day. It’s not just when they do something exceptional; showing appreciation for someone for any reason can be very motivating.

There are limitless opportunities to provide recognition to those around you, whether it’s your employees, your class or your family. Below is a brief list of different activities you can organize to recognize the good in those around you:

  • Host an Olympics meet. This can be done in the office, at school, at home (family reunion, anyone?), at a neighborhood block party, etc. A friendly competition is a great team building exercise to use whenever you have a large group of people, and it’s a great way to assess and honor individual strengths within a team.
  • Hold an awards ceremony. Have classmates or co-workers nominate their fellows for special awards. This will be particularly sincere for the recipient because it’s not just management handing out an award, but the entire team reinforcing the acknowledgment.
  • Hold an award ceremony for your students to distinguish their achievements such as high grades, perfect attendance, and completing work on time. Don’t forget about the students typically labeled as the class failures – they have their successes too. Figure out what they’ve done particularly well or what weakness they’ve overcome during the school year, and let them know it didn’t go unnoticed. Reinforce the good rather than dwelling on the negative.
  • Give your employees an award when they turn in a project early or display advanced commitment to the company. The key here is to be consistent; don’t award one person for accomplishing something that you wouldn’t award someone else for performing with the same level of skill or difficulty.
  • Surprise a deserving recipient for no particular reason other than to say how awesome they are.

It’s important to remember when recognizing individuals for their talents that you are making the gesture special and memorable for them. Give them memories they can walk away with and something they can hold onto and look back at with pride for their accomplishments. Most of all, be creative in your recognition to make it all the more special. Take a look at this website that provides a list of reasons to recognize your employees (although, it works just as well for other people in your life!) that goes beyond the typical awards you would give out for attendance and performance. So what will you do to create a recognition program in your class, home or office? To learn how we can help you accomplish your goals to recognize the people in your life, give us a call or visit our website.