Types of Trophies and Awards

There are many types, sizes, and styles of sports trophies and awards – some to fill every budget – from inexpensive or cheap participation trophies to championship trophies. The least expensive awards are medals, dog tags, and bag tags. These are available for $2 to $5 each, depending on the quality and level of personalization or engraving you want.

 

The next level of sports team awards would be economy trophies. Typically referred to as “cheap trophies” or “inexpensive trophies” or “entry level trophies”, these trophies are simple in design consisting of a small marble base (2” x 3”), a figurine, and possibly a column. The marble base has no felt pads, and the personalized trophy tag may be printed instead of engraved. These simple trophies range in price from under $3 in quantity to $8 or $9 each when purchased individually.

 

A little nicer grade of awards are known as participation trophies. Participation trophies typically consist of a plastic figurine in the shape of a sport team player or an icon of the sport or activity, it may have a column between the trophy figurine and the base which may be made of wood, marble or plastic, or the trophy figurine may be mounted directly on the base. The marble is larger than that found on the economy trophy and it has felt pads on the base to protect furniture. These inexpensive, simple trophies range in price from $4 (when purchased in quantities) to around $10 each when purchased individually.

 

Resin Trophies are available in lifelike detail and with some very interesting designs. Resin trophies are made from petroleum derived products and so their prices fluctuate somewhat based on the price of oil. They range in price from $5 to $15.

 

Plaques are available in a variety of configurations. Insert sports plaques have an icon of the sport mounted on the plaque with a place for some personalized engraving. Picture plaques or photo plaques have a place for the team photo as well as an engraved plate for personalization. Plaques range in price from $7 to $30 depending on the size and wood type available.

 

	For the winning teams there are championship trophies in multi-column designs, winning cup trophies, or perpetual trophies. These large trophies range in price from $20 to $200 or more. When a team wins a championship trophy, the team members are usually given individual trophies to commemorate the occasion.
	A specific type of championship trophy for an annual award is known as the perpetual trophy. These trophies are typically larger and are also known as traveling trophies. They are used to commemorate an event that occurs on a regular basis, typically annually, and they list the winner of the award and the year the individual won the event.