When it comes to the world of awards, trophies, plaques and medals are probably the three most common choices. Trophies and medals have their place and will likely be around for years to come, but a plaque may provide more benefit to the organization handing out the award and the person receiving it.
More Room for the Message
When you hand out trophies, there is only a small number of characters to work with to say what you want to say. They are kind of like the twitter of awards. But with a plaque, you have more room to work with, which in many cases allows you to describe some of the accomplishments of the recipient or include other details.
More Design Possibilities
The additional surface area of a plaque also allows greater design possibilities for a more creative look. Don’t feel like you need to use a standard brown plaque with engraved boilerplate glued on. Use the extra space to make the plaques unique, even if it’s just a splash of colour here and there or images that relate to the reason for the award.
Can Add a Logo
The organization handing out the awards can use the space on a plaque to add their own logo along with all the other elements. If hundreds or even thousands of plaques are being handed out as part of a larger awards banquet, that’s like having thousands of little advertisements sitting in people’s homes for who knows how many years.
Take Up Less Space
Award plaques will ultimately take up less space than trophies, because all you need is an empty space on the wall and you’re good to go. In reality, they don’t take up any actual space at all. Just be sure to gauge the weight of your plaque and the thickness of the wall you are mounting it on. You may need plastic anchors to make sure it stays on the wall as intended.
Some people designate an entire wall in their basement or another room for plaques they’ve won. It’s nice to sit and reflect over your accomplishments as you look at a wall of plaques, and it’s nice to hand out an award that the recipient will cherish into the future. It’s nice to have a mix of trophies, plaques and medals in a trophy room, so try not to get caught up in just trophies when you’re planning your next awards event.
