presenting awards

5 tips for planning a successful awards ceremony

by Presenta Plaque | on Feb 12, 2014 | No Comments

While most people understand that rewarding people for their efforts in an organization is very important, unfortunately, recognition deserved is often not given simply because of operational complexities. Managers are often trying to contain costs and they fear that rewarding team members may be too pricy or time consuming. But awards presented at award ceremonies still remain one of the easiest and best ways to boost morale in an organization.

If you are considering holding an awards ceremony to recognize those deserving, here are a few tips which should help your event be a success.

  1. Determine a budget. It’s important to be realistic about your budget. Shop around to be sure you get the most for your money. Remember, everything from your suppliers is negotiable. Also, be honest with your suppliers about your budget. This will save you time as well as preventing them from quoting products or services that are way out of your range.
  2. Event design. If you have an idea of how you want your event to look, describe that to the event producer. Be sure to list audio requirements, displays, wide-screens, LED display effects and lecterns. This will give your production team a better idea of your vision and will help them provide an accurate quote. If you haven’t developed a vision, consult with the production company to create a unique experience for your guests.
  3. 3.       Atmosphere. Consider how you can use lighting and music to create the proper ambiance. Moving lights, up-lights and patterned effects can be low cost but create a spectacular ambiance for an awards ceremony. Additionally, you can use music throughout the awards ceremony to accompany stage walk-ons and bring excitement to the room.
  4. Awards Presentation. Since the main point of your award ceremony is to showcase the award winners, be sure to keep them at the forefront, so each winner gets the proper honor. You may even consider filming the honorees prior to the event and showing video clips in an entertaining way.
  5. Video. Video is a popular way to preserve the memory of your awards ceremony. We suggest you plan for roaming video professionals to capture footage throughout the event, including speeches by winners. After the ceremony, you can create a highlights video to post on your website and Facebook, use as a promotional tool on YouTube and present as an additional gift to award winners.

Sure, planning an awards ceremony is a big undertaking, but these five tips should help you get headed in the right direction. And be sure to order your award certificates and plaques well in advance so you’re not scrambling for these at the last minute. Presenta Plaque even offers wholesale pricing, so we’re a great choice for organizations honoring a large number of people!

Seven Common Sections on a Certificate for an Award Plaque

by Presenta Plaque | on Nov 18, 2012 | No Comments

There are no hard and fast rules for how to word or format an award certificate, but there are seven common wording sections.

  1. Title (Certificate of Achievement)
  2. Presentation line (is awarded to)
  3. Recipient (Name)
  4. From
  5. Description (Reason for award)
  6. Date
  7. Signature

Title
Common titles include:

  • Achievement Award
  • Award
  • Award Certificate
  • Award of Excellence
  • Certificate of Achievement
  • Certificate of Appreciation
  • Certificate of Completion
  • Certificate of Excellence
  • Certificate of Participation
  • Certificate of Recognition
  • Recognition Award

While a title on a straight line is fine, text on a curved path looks fancy. It can be done in graphics software, some desktop publishing software or using the Word Art features of Microsoft Word or Publisher. The title is commonly larger in size and in a different color from the rest of the text.

Presentation Line
Following the title it is customary to include one of these phrases or something similar:

  • is awarded to
  • is hereby bestowed upon
  • is hereby awarded to
  • is given to
  • is presented to

Recipient
It is common to have the name of the recipient emphasized in some way, such as in italics, bold, larger or in a decorative font.

Recognition
Following the recipient’s name is some brief wording following by a description:

  • in recognition of [description]
  • is hereby awarded this Certificate of Recognition
  • for [description]
  • is hereby awarded this Certificate of Appreciation for [description]
  • is recognized as  [description]

From
Some certificates may include a line saying who is giving the award. This may be the company or a specific individual.

Description
This section, either a few words or a brief paragraph, gives more specifics of why a person is receiving the certificate. It is an optional section and is used if needed to describe specific achievements.

If this description is more than two or three lines, it will usually look better flush left or fully-justified rather than centered, as the rest of the text is.

Date
The date can come before or after the description of the reason for the award. Various formats for dates can be used. The date used is typically the date on which the award is made. Specific dates for which the award applies may be listed in the title or descriptive text.

Signature
Signatures are important to a certificate because they make it more legitimate. It’s good to add the printed name of the signer beneath the signature line.
We suggest that for a single signature line, it be centered or aligned to the right side of the certificate. If the certificate has two signature lines, it looks balanced to place them to the left and right with a little bit of space between.

Once you’ve completed your certificate, the best way to showcase it, of course, is with one of our high quality plaques!

Stock up on Plaques!

by Presenta Plaque | on Jan 09, 2012 | No Comments

When your employees, team, teachers and students do something great, it’s customary to congratulate them with a pat on the back and an applauding “great job!” You recognize someone for a job well done to make them feel special, that their hard work didn’t go unnoticed, and you want them to have something to remember that feeling of recognition by. Why not something beautiful, something that makes the award a permanent keepsake? Throughout the year, award ceremonies take place; ceremonies like graduation, MVP awards, championship games and even spelling bees all hand out some kind of award to its winner. Some hand out trophies, while others hand out a boring, albeit creatively designed, paper certificate.

Last year, I posted a blog called “Recognition Basics”. I went to a professional basketball game where the team and sponsors were handing out awards to several students. While this was probably an incredible event for the students, the team and presenter could have made the experience more memorable. How? While I was there I noticed the awards that were being given were just a paper certificate. You can read the blog here.

Presenta Plaque offers two solutions for you to pick from, Presenta Plaque Kits or Pocket Plaques. Don’t get stuck in an embarrassing ceremony situation, turn your boring paper certificate into a beautiful plaque worth hanging! Stock up today on plaques for the year by ordering online!