Award certificates are a popular way to express appreciation or recognize accomplishments. At Baudville, we frequently give certificates to winners of games or contests, and use award certificates in our formal recognition programs.

With June right around the corner, certificates are also a great way to give end of the school year appreciation to teachers, volunteers, school staff, and students. To create and present memorable award certificates, follow these five award certificate tips.

1. Say it with style. Include your award winner’s name, achievement, the date of the award occasion, and any other important information about the accomplishment.

2. Design is everything. Be creative! Choose an award certificate paper to match the award occasion — be it fun and colorful or elegant and serious. Present the award certificate in an award certificate folder for a nice presentation.

3. Have an authority endorse it. Ask the PTO President, school Principal, or school district Superintendent to sign the award certificate. You could also have the teacher’s coworkers or students sign it.

4. Present it properly. Don’t leave an award certificate with smeared ink in the teacher’s mailbox. Choose a quality certificate paper, place it in an award certificate folder or frame it, and then present it personally. Elegant presentation underscores your appreciation and your recipient’s importance.

5. Dignify the award occasion. Present the award certificate at a school function, staff meeting, or PTO event. If your presentation will be one-on-one, make it special by treating your award winner to lunch.

Priceless Pointer: Some people may feel uncertain or awkward creating award certificates if they’re not used to doing it. Make it easy for them by taking a few minutes — in a meeting or one-on-one — to help them gain familiarity with any software, award certificate paper, or certificate materials you have assembled for your program. And, be sure to give them a reward for taking on this new task!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Award certificates are commonly used for volunteer appreciation, and many organizations will be ordering their certificate paper and getting designs ready as National Volunteer Week approaches!

Award certificates are especially popular for National Volunteer Week because they are a very affordable recognition option. National Volunteer Week will be here soon, April 10-16, so we’ve put together a few resources that will make your award certificate creation easy!

Award Certificate Bundles – There are so many options for award certificates, it can be overwhelming! Award Certificate Bundles coordinate all the items you need for a beautiful presentation. Bundles include folders, paper, seals, and ribbons. 

Award Certificate Templates – Once you’ve selected your award certificate paper, you’ll need to design your certificate. Each award certificate paper product details page on our website includes a free certificate template. You won’t even have to think about playing around with margins!

Sample Employee Recognition Award Certificate Titles – If you struggle with finding the right words for your award certificate, download our Sample Employee Recognition Award Certificate Titles. The PDF is part of our Free Downloads sections of the Recognition Resource Center. It includes two pages of both formal and casual award titles you can use for the entire group or individuals.

Informal Award Certificates – You don’t have to reserve award certificates for only formal occasions. Informal and day-to-day certificates are perfect for recognizing volunteers right on the spot. With most of the day-to-day certificates, all you have to do is fill in the blank! Check out the Day-to-Day Certificate Bundle and Fun Everyday Certificate Pads.

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook

I attended a conference last spring, given by an organization who shall remain nameless because of what I am about to tell you. It was actually a good conference, filled with useful info that I was able to bring back and apply to my daily work. But what I also brought back was one hideous-looking Certificate of Completion.

I put it up on my wall anyway because I was proud of my accomplishment. But, within moments, one of my coworkers commented on it (quite possibly how that word hideous got planted in my brain). It was shoddily laid out and seemed to just scream that it had been thrown together both quickly and carelessly. Exactly not what a certificate is supposed to portray.

The thing about certificates is that they are meant to be shown off. Which means they should probably look nice. Not just nice, actually, but impressive. And if you’re going to the trouble of giving an award, it should represent the achievement accordingly.

This is not at all hard to do.

1. Start with the paper. Ask yourself: is this a formal or casual occasion? Can I use a preprinted sentiment, or is the award specific enough that it needs to be customized?

Our blank and pre-printed papers run the spectrum from elegant and distinguished to fun and informal. Really, if you can’t find it here, it probably doesn’t exist!

Bestselling Scallop                 Brand New Completion         Contemporary Splendor       New, Bright-Foil Field Day

2. Follow with a sentiment. You don’t have to be a wordsmith to write the perfect recognition message. In fact, we put some of our experts to work to provide you some helpful expressions for both the award title and the award description. You can find those and more in our Recognition Resource Center. Or, better yet, use our Award Maker Software or Award Maker Online to create polished and professional certificates using our easy-to-use templates.

3. Finish with a presentation. This is not the time to say, “take one and pass it on.” It’s a moment of pride for the recipient and should reflect just that. Honor the achievement with a public ceremony, which can be as simple as a gathering in an open space in your department or as elaborate as a full stage production. Or, if your recipient would be more comfortable with a one-on-one, arrange for that instead. Gauge the occasion and do what fits best. No matter how you present it, there’s no question that an elegant folder or frame will add a the perfect finishing touch.          

When giving an award certificate, be sure to make it appropriate, thoughtful, and honorable—and it will be remembered for all the right reasons; not all the wrong ones!

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Allison is a self-proclaimed Copywriting Diva and has the certificate to prove it! She’s been writing for Baudville for two years and has worked in a variety of business settings for more than 17 years. Before becoming a professional writer 10 years ago, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer! 

At Neidig Elementary School in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, a hallway has been transformed for Veteran’s Day into a “Hall of Honor.”

The school sent home a Baudville Heritage certificate to each family in the school, and asked them to write a thank you note or share a few words of remembrance for a veteran. The school completed nearly 700 certificates for the Hall of Honor! Many families requested additional certificates because they wanted to recognize several veterans.

 

The Neidig Elementary School Hall of Honor 

When we think of recognition, we often reflect primarily of the awards and gifts we give employees to encourage productivity, teamwork and engagement. Today is a great day to recognize the veterans who have dedicated and sacrificed so much for our country.

Thank you Neidig Elementary School for sharing your recognition of the great men and women who serve our country!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Award certificates are a great way to show off achievements, but I can think of a few reasons why a department manager might not use them for everyday employee recognition:

They’re more formal than some occasions merit. With the exception of a couple of our newer contemporary styles, most of our certificates feature ornate, sophisticated designs with traditional colors or foil accents. While these are just what you need for recognizing prestigious moments, they don’t necessarily fit the bill for day-to-day recognition.   

They take a little more time than an on-the-spot note. Baudville does offer easy-to-use templates for printing certificates, but you may not have time to download a template, type out your message, and run a certificate through the printer. (In truth, this only takes a few minutes, but I’m trying to make a point here…)

They require resources you might not have. If you work on the go or visit multiple locations—or you simply don’t have access to a computer or printer, certificates just won’t work for you at all.

Or will they?  

Ta-dah! Our new Day-to-Day Certificate Bundle Binder goes where you do and contains a variety of informal, all-occasion certificates that you fill in by hand. No technology required!

With theme sentiments that recognize everything from great moments to great attitudes, you will never be without a way to show appreciation for your team. Each binder includes tabbed dividers that organize 10 each of six different certificates for you to use when you want to:

Recognize all-around greatness. Maybe someone on your team helped out a coworker or finished a task ahead of schedule. The You’re Awesome certificate from our new Positive Praise theme and the Positive Mojo certificate from our ever-popular Exclamations™ theme are both perfect for when you need to acknowledge someone who goes the extra mile.

Say thank you. The You Are Truly Appreciated, Shining Star, and Thanks for All You Do! certificates are there when you need to show your team members a little gratitude—whether it’s for consistently providing great customer service or taking on extra work when you’re shorthanded.

Applaud a job well done. Ideal for when someone gives a great presentation, meets a goal, or completes a challenging project, the Great Job certificate says it all—simply.

Easy to use, ready for any occasion, and less than $1.00 each, these day-to-day certificates can’t be beat!

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Allison is Baudville’s one (and only) Copywriter. She’s been writing for a variety of media for more than nine years, so if she tells you she has been there and done that, she probably has. Before embarking on a career in writing, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer!