Why Custom Acrylic and Wood Medals Are a Standout Choice

 

Beyond Metal: Why Custom Acrylic and Wood Medals Are a Standout Choice

When most people think of award medals, metal is usually the first thing that comes to mind. And for good reason—custom printed insert medals and die cast medals are classics for sports events, competitions, and achievements of all kinds.

But if you’re looking to do something a little different, something that truly stands out and feels memorable, there’s a growing shift toward alternative materials. At JustAwardMedals, our custom acrylic and wood medals are becoming a favorite for customers who want a fresh, unique, and modern take on awards.

Here’s why acrylic and wood medals deserve a serious look for your next event.

1. A Unique Look That Instantly Stands Out

Metal medals are timeless—but they’re also familiar. Acrylic and wood medals immediately catch attention because they’re unexpected.

• Acrylic medals offer a clean, modern aesthetic with crisp edges, bold colors, and eye-catching transparency or solid finishes.

• Wood medals bring warmth, texture, and a natural feel that no metal can replicate.

When recipients receive something that looks and feels different, it makes the achievement more memorable. These medals don’t just blend in—they spark conversation.

2. Endless Customization Possibilities

One of the biggest advantages of acrylic and wood is how flexible they are for custom designs.

With these materials, you can:

• Cut custom shapes that go beyond traditional round medals

• Incorporate logos, text, patterns, and illustrations with precision

• Use layered designs, cut-outs, or engraved details

Whether you’re hosting a corporate event, a school competition, a fun run, or a creative festival, acrylic and wood medals give you more freedom to bring your vision to life.

3. Perfect for Modern and Creative Events

Alternative medals shine especially well at events that want to feel contemporary, artistic, or community-driven.

Custom acrylic and wood medals are a great fit for:

• Fun runs, charity events, and community races

• Corporate awards and team recognition

• School programs and academic achievements

• Fitness challenges, dance competitions, and creative contests

• Eco-conscious or nature-inspired events

They signal that thought went into the award—not just the competition.

  

4. Lightweight and Comfortable to Wear

Another practical benefit: acrylic and wood medals are lightweight.

That means:

• More comfortable for kids and younger participants

• Easier to wear for longer ceremonies or photo sessions

• Less strain on ribbons and necks

Despite being lightweight, these medals still feel solid and high-quality in hand, striking the perfect balance between comfort and durability.

5. A Natural, Eco-Inspired Appeal

Wood medals, in particular, resonate with customers who value sustainability and natural aesthetics. While still durable and professionally finished, they offer an earthy, handcrafted feel that aligns beautifully with outdoor events, environmental initiatives, and wellness-focused brands.

6. High Perceived Value Without the Traditional Feel

One common misconception is that non-metal medals feel less premium. In reality, a well-designed acrylic or wood medal often feels more exclusive because it’s less common.

Recipients notice:

• The originality of the material

• The care in the design

• The fact that it’s not “just another medal”

That sense of novelty can elevate the perceived value of the award just as much as weight or shine.

7. A Refreshing Alternative—Without Replacing the Classics

Metal medals will always have their place, and at Just Award Medals, our custom printed insert medals and custom die cast medals remain top sellers for a reason.

But acrylic and wood medals aren’t about replacing metal—they’re about expanding your options.

They give event organizers the freedom to:

• Match the medal to the theme

• Create a more memorable experience

• Offer something participants haven’t seen a hundred times before

Sometimes, standing out is the real prize.

Explore Custom Acrylic and Wood Medals with Just Award Medals

If you’re planning an event and want awards that feel modern, creative, and meaningful, custom acrylic and wood medals are a powerful choice. They’re distinctive, highly customizable, lightweight, and perfect for events that want to leave a lasting impression.

At justawardmedals.com, we’re proud to offer a full range of medal options—from classic metal to bold alternatives—so you can find the perfect fit for your event and your audience.

Ready to try something different? Your next award might just be wood or acrylic.

Why have large flashy massive award medals become so popular over the last few years?

Wearing large, flashy chains or massive award medals, medallions and champ chains have lately been very trendy in recent years, especially in sports, among celebrities, and hip hop. The reasons may be because of the following:

1. Hip-Hop & Rap Influence

Think about Hip Hop and its huge influence on culture, fashion and other trends, and you will also envision those larger than life jewelry pieces hanging on the necks of rappers and musicians. These glitter and glam pendants seem to be symbols of status and success.

2. Achievement in Sports Recognition & Athlete Endorsement

It seems with sports awards, bigger has become better. This applies not only to trophies and award belts, but also to medals. In recent years, championship awards for many sporting participants ranging from high school to professional levels have become larger and more “flashy” custom and extravagant. This trend may partly be due from hip hop’s influence on famous athletes who wear unique oversized chains, jewelry and medallions to gain attention and to further their brand. This increases and influences fashion and award trends among fans and sporting participants.

3. Times Gone by

Remember the bling of the 80’s and 90’s? What about the disco balls of the 70’s? Perhaps the nostalgia of “days gone by” encourages us to bring back bold fashions and glitzy items. There seems to be a resurgence for eye-catching clothing and accessories, which has crossed over to our awards.

4. Social Media & TV

With the popularity of YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, etc. extravagant jewelry/awards and large championship medals make an impactful statement. The glamour of “Big Jewelry” is seen everywhere on TV from red carpet events, movies, collegiate sports, etc. This is an ideal way to showcase status, achievement and success, and to increase interest in your brand, organization and image.

5. Excess in our Culture

It seems as time goes on, especially in the USA, we get used to having and wanting more and more….or making things bigger and better. Excess seems to be a common theme in many trends including fashion, culinary arts, technology, etc. It is a conspicuous way to draw attention, remain unique or to show-off.

All in all, the influences of media and cultural changes seem to have influenced our taste for award medals to be bigger, bolder and more eye-catching than ever. JustAwardMedals offers an entire line of eye-catching champ chain medallions with stock imagery and customizable text. Whatever your needs, we are here to help make your next award ceremony or event a success!

How do I Submit Artwork for Custom Award Medals?

 

SUBMITTING ARTWORK FOR CUSTOM AWARD MEDALS

We often get asked what kind of artwork do we require for custom award medals. Whether you are ordering custom award medals in wood, acrylic or metal, here is a quick guide on what you need to know in order to correctly fulfill that next artwork request for your custom award medals and custom awards.

Let's first discuss what you probably don't want to submit. Most often, providing your artwork in the form of a photocopy, website art, or a photograph is not always ideal, and generally will not work. These examples are not considered "original artwork" which typically is required. Remember, someone created your logo/art, and it's up to you to find out where it originated, and if it is available digitally. If you can find the originator of your art or logo, you will save yourself a lot of work, and will likely be able to provide your art to your vendor per their requirements.

Regardless of file format, most vendors will require vector art. Open your artwork on your computer and zoom in very, very closely. If your art is composed of small dots it is likely a bitmap or raster image, and is NOT a vector image. A vector image is made up of lines, and if you zoom in very close on your image you will see that the graphic is still very crisp and clean with no blurry dots. Check the art by increasing the size about 10-20 times. If the "blown up" image is still as crisp, clean and detailed as when it was small, you likely have a vector image! If it becomes blurry the bigger it gets, your image is likely a raster image. Another way to check, if your file has any of the following extensions, it is likely a raster: .bmp, .jpg, .gif

So your image is a bitmap or raster image, and you don't know what to do? Bitmap or raster images may be acceptable if they are high resolution bitmaps in the 300-600 dpi range. Keep in mind that some more complicated art may need to be a bitmap image in order to achieve the visual effects desired, but will still need to be high resolution. This would be the case of photo images. In addition, some vendors such as JustAwardMedals.com have conversion software, where a bitmap can be converted to vector art. There are also many businesses on the internet where you can provide your digital bitmap file in various formats, and they will convert your art to vector art. Go to Google and search for "vector art conversion" and you will find many available options for this service. Lastly, perhaps you don't need to convert to vector... check with your vendor to see if your bitmap image is acceptable.

Your vector or high resolution bitmap image may need to be in a specified file format. Usually, most custom medals awards vendors will ask for your art to have one of the following file format extensions: .ai (Adobe Illustrator), .cdr (Corel Draw), .pdf (portable document format), or .eps (encapsulated postscript). Whatever program you are able to open your artwork up in, you should be able to "save as" or "export" as one of these file formats. Be sure to convert any text to curves. Please understand, that taking a low resolution bitmap file and saving it as a higher resolution .eps or .ai file does not improve the resolution of the art, nor does it turn it into a vector file.

If your still at a loss and cannot provide artwork for your custom awards or medals, you may have to have it recreated. Recreating art may be expensive as you most likely will have to have the a graphic artist do this for you. Plan on spending $50-$100 per hour for this service, and once provided, have them save several copies in various formats for future use. In the end, you want to supply artwork in an economical and efficient manner, and hopefully some of our suggestions can help you with this goal!

Custom Award Medal Options When You’re Out of Time?

Custom Award Medal Options When in a Pinch? 

OH NO! Your 5K Race or District Wrestling competition is one week away, and you forgot to order your award medals! Where did the time go? You wanted something nice to recognize your winners, but now you wonder . . . is there enough time? Will I now have to buy some cheap looking stock medals and have all my peers cringe at the sight of unsightly common everyday award medals? Luckily, JustAwardMedals is here to Save Your Day! We have four custom medal options that can be uniquely designed and shipped fast.

1. CUSTOM INSERT MEDALS (Ships in 2-5 business days after proof approval)

Using your logo or design, we can print 2” round inserts made from vinyl with a clear over laminate that are attached to “blank” medallions. These medallions come in several different design styles, sizes and finishes. A minimum of only 30 medals is required, and the more you order, the better the price after applying our generous quantity discounts. Best of all, you can award custom themed medals that are unique to your competition or event bringing awareness to your brand.

2. CUSTOM DIRECT PRINT MEDALS (Ships in 2-5 business days after proof approval)

No inserts here. Instead we take blank award medals with a flat surface and print directly onto the medal itself. A fairly new print technology, these medals can accommodate your logo or design in stunning clarity and vibrant colors. Two sizes are available (2” and 2-3/4”), and only a 50 piece minimum.

3. CUSTOM ACRYLIC MEDALS (Ships in 2-5 business days after proof approval.)

Using direct print technology and your art or design, we can laser cut your custom award medals in any shape and size. Acrylic comes in white, black or clear and we try to stick with ¼” thickness to add bulk and weight. The lasered edges of these medals come out with a clean polished appearance, and we try to steer customers towards our sewn sublimated neckbands. These 1-1/2 wide neckbands have a silky smooth appearance and are available in many colors and themes. If you ever heard the saying “the wheels make a car” then know that “the neckband makes the medal.” Our custom acrylic medals have become extremely popular when in a time crunch! Minimum order is 50.

4. WOOD ACRYLIC MEDALS (Ships in 2-5 business days after proof approval)

Like our acrylic medals, our wood medals consist of printing directly to the wood surface and laser cutting your medallions in any shape and size. We stick with ¼” thick MDF with a maple veneer. This natural wood can be stained in walnut, gray or cherry, and can accommodate our premium sublimated 1-1/2” wide neckbands used with our custom acrylic medals. With a minimum of 50, these custom wood medals are hearty, colorful, eco-friendly and made in the USA!

Don’t forget that all our medals include FREE art setup, neckbands and shipping (on prepaid online orders $99 and over . . . certain restrictions may apply) In addition, be sure to note our quantity discounts for even more savings. Don't ignore these savings when comparing our prices to competitors!

In the end, we know how important it is to purchase distinctive branded custom award medals for your event. Custom Die cast medals are often the preferred choice, however the 5-6 week delivery time is not always workable, especially if you are unsure of final participant registrations and “over ordering” to cover your needs is costly and inefficient. There are other options at JustAwardMedals, where a keepsake recognition medallion can still be customized at an economical price and manufactured in short amount of time.

Planning a Pickleball Tournament with a Focus on Awards

 

Need Award for Your Next Pickleball Event?

Planning a pickleball tournament can be an exciting endeavor, and incorporating awards adds an extra layer of motivation and recognition for participants. Here's a guide on how to set up a pickleball tournament with a focus on awards.

1. Define Tournament Details - You first will need to determine your tournament format (i.e. - single, doubles, mixed doubles.) Next, you need to decide on a date, time, and location. Be sure to establish your registration process including how to recruit participants, eligibility and fees. 

2. Select your Award Categories - Here you will need to identify the categories for awards, such as place (1st, 2nd, 3rd,) male/female, single, doubles, etc. Communicate these award categories to all participants during the registration process to create buzz and excitement.

3. Budget - Allocate a budget for your awards, and consider donations and sponsorship opportunities. Invite sponsors and local community to attend. Offer advertising opportunities to those who donate or sponsor.

4. Advertise - Advertise your tournament through local newspaper, newsletters, email, flyers, radio, websites, social media, local bulletin boards, etc. 

5. Design Customized Medals and Trophies - Work with a reputable awards company such as JustAwardMedals.com to design your medals and/or trophy awards. JustAwardMedals.com has graphic designers on staff ready to assist in designing your custom award medals, or select from more inexpensive stock medal designs. Custom acrylic trophies are also a popular choice, and can incorporate pickleball themes and elements in your final design. Do not procrastinate, and be sure to order your awards well in advance to assure timely delivery and avoid any rush fees.

6. Schedule - Create a detailed and complete itinerary and schedule of the tournament to include the time for set-up and pre-register, warm up, post social time, competitions, presentations, and award ceremony.

7.  Awards Ceremony Organization - Plan a detailed awards ceremony so that winners are celebrated. Clearly communicate awards categories and places to attendees. Invite winners to come up to accept their awards, and create a special podium or winners area if desired. Be sure to hire a photographer or select someone to take pictures of the winners for future social media posting, newsletters, etc. 

By using these tips, your next pickleball tournament will be a professional, organized and inspirational for all who attend. Best of all, through the use of high quality thoughtful awards, your winners and participants will feel warmly celebrated and recognized.

Custom Wood Medals - 5 Reasons Why You Should Consider

If you’re undecided about the type of medals to purchase for your next educational or sporting event, take a look at our custom wooden medals. Medals made from wood have been a popular and trending product at JustAwardMedals.com. Give us your logo and ideas and we will design a unique award made “in-house” at our manufacturing facility with precision and expertise. Made of ¼” thick 2 sided veneered maple on an MDF core, these medallions are directly printed with UV 4 color print technology.

 Let’s quickly go over 5 reasons why you should consider custom wooden medallions:

1. Unique & Different – Award recipients are always looking for something different, and wood medals “fit the bill.” Traditional metal die cast medals will always be the norm, but it’s always nice to change things up, and offer something distinctive and one-of-a-kind.

2. Shape and Size – Our wood medals can be laser cut to any size and custom shape you desire. Compared to large expensive traditional diecast medals, wood medals can often be made very large at a better price.

3. Small minimum requirement – Only a minimum of 50 pieces is required.

4. Eco-friendly and Made in the USA – Wood is sourced from our local lumber store, and your medals will be manufactured in the United States.

5. Fast turnaround - Tired of dealing with 6-8 week deliveries for your die cast medals from overseas? JustAwardMedals.com customizable wood printed medals are delivered FAST, often in as little as 7-10 business days if required. This is a big advantage if you gain more unexpected last minute participants, and need another batch of medals produced.

Wood is associated with the outdoors, making wood medal awards great for outdoor themed events such as running races/5k’s, lumberjack competitions, archery, shooting, biking, fishing, highland games, pickle ball, rodeos, and more!

Need a quote? We’re here to help. Give us a call at 888-0462-5008 or email us at contact@justawardmedals.com.

About Custom DIE CAST Medals
Customized Medals

STRAIGHT ANSWERS ABOUT OUR CUSTOM DIE CAST MEDALS

How are these custom die cast medals made and what about die charges? Custom medallions are typically liquid cast in a mold or die. Dies are made by skilled artisans, and high tech 3D CNC's. Medallions cast in steel molds/dies show amazing detail and quality. Many manufacturers will use a disposable rubber mold (spin cast) which decreases mold/die charges and overall costs, but produces a less detailed medallion often with inconsistencies. Our factory uses a steel die/mold, however we can sometimes obtain medals faster from a manufacturer who uses rubber molds for quicker turnaround if needed.

Are your Custom Made Die Cast Medals better than your competitors?
There are many good medal manufacturers out there, however be aware that most of the time you get what you pay for. When looking at a medal's quality, consider the following:
1. Is the thickness of the medallion equal to what was promised, or did the manufacturer decrease the thickness to save on costs? Most of our medals have thicknesses of at least 3mm. Will the medal feel "substantial" and have considerable weight relative to its size?
2. Are the letters and images clear, crisp and detailed? (Less Clarity can result from a rubber "spin cast" mold... insist on a steel mold or die.)
3. Is the buffing and plating consistent across all medals?
4. On antique finishes, are the medallion's edges buffed, or did the manufacturer cut corners by leaving all the edges blackened.
5. Are the ribbons attached with clips and jump rings that match the medal's plating? For example, antique silver jump rings should be used on antique silver medals.
6. Is each medal attached to a neckband, poly-bagged and packaged properly?

What finishes are available on your custom die cast medals?
The finish and color of your medals depends on the plating. All our medals are available in antique gold, silver and bronze. The bronze plating is more of a copper tone - much like a penny. Antique finishes are the most popular. A typical antique finish is where raised areas of your medal show a more bright or shiny appearance, and the lower relief areas are darker or more blackened. You can also have your medals plated in bright gold, silver and bronze where there is no "antique" effect, and the finish appears bright and shiny overall. Bright finishes cost a little more. There usually are no added charges for mixing finishes.

What is your minimum order and delivery time?
We require a 200 piece minimum. Plan on approximately 5-8 weeks delivery, after approval of your paper proofs.
If you need custom medals sooner you may want to consider our Custom Color Insert Medals with a 4-6 day turnaround, or our other custom medals made "in-house."

What about artwork and do I need it?
Black and white Artwork of your medal eventually needs to be completed by you, an outside graphic artist or us. Keep in mind that what is black on your medallion artwork is typically raised, and what it white will be recessed. We prefer digital vector art in any of the following formats: pdf., cdr (Corel Draw), .ai or eps. If you don't have art but have a general idea of what you want, you will need to describe to us as best you can what you want to see if this is something we can do. Often customers have a logo that needs to be combined with text. In such cases, e-mail us the logo so we can see it. Art charges for fixing existing art/logos, or for creation of art, can cost $75 per hour. Typically we can fix or create a design in 1-2 hours. We normally do NOT create art from scratch. 

Can I color my custom cast medallions?
Yes, medals can be color filled with enamel, glittered enamel or glow in the dark enamel. Adding color to your medal is often well worth it if you have a logo or design where you want to maintain branding. You will be surprised how much color adds to the overall look of your medal!

What is 2D and 3D?
"2D" or two dimensional custom medals maintain two or more flat plains or levels. Most often, a 2D medal has a low recessed level and a raised higher flat level (raised text). "3D" or three dimensional medals have variations or graduations in levels making images look more realistic. Three Dimensional molds are more expensive to make.

What makes a custom die cast medal look good?
As you might expect, the final appearance of your medal has a lot to do with the art. Not to mention, a medal's beauty really is in the "eye of the beholder." This aside, a medal with an abundance of raised area tends to enhance its appearance. Medals with a large amount of open recessed areas may look bare and empty, and actually reduce the overall weight of your medal. Often, adding a slight texture to the medal's recessed background area can help the overall appearance.

Do you make your custom die cast medals at your facility?
We manufacturer our custom color printed and lasered medallions "in-house" at our modern facility near Minneapolis MN. Materials would include wood, acrylic and vinyl. We are a certified manufacturer's representative for our die cast medals. Most American and Foreign die cast and die struck medallion manufacturers work through dealers and reps such as us, instead of selling direct. The majority of our custom die cast medals are manufactured overseas. From our experience, overseas custom medals offer our customers quality and the best value for their money. Overseas artisans continually impress us with their attention to detail and quality at unmatched pricing. Our custom medal pictures tell the story - quality is our #1 priority. Unfortunately, because these medallions are manufactured overseas, the minimum quantity requirement is 200 pieces, and the delivery time is approximately 5-8 weeks. For slightly faster delivery times and "Made in USA" requirements, we have strong relationships with a limited amount of US factories if needed.

What kind of Neckbands do you offer?

Typically we offer 7/8" wide or 1-1/2" wide x 32" long neckbands in many different colors. We recommend a 1-1/2" neckband for medals over 2-1/2". We can screen print simple logos or text on neckbands, or sublimate full color designs. You will incur a set-up fee, as well as an added cost for each neckband when they are sublimated or silk-screened.

Can you provide designs on both sides of the die cast award medals?

Often we manufacture medals with designs on both sides. The cost of doing this is usually not much more than making a single sided medal. Most of the upfront costs go into making the die. Once the die is made, most of the work is done.

What size and thicknesses are your die cast award medals?

We can provide medals with a thickness from 2mm to 4mm. Most medals we quote in the 2-3" range are priced with a 3mm thickness. Typical medals range in size from 1-3/4" to 5-1/2".

Your Quote came in too high....what can we do to obtain a less expensive price?
To reduce the price of your medals, you might consider the following:
1. Increase the quantity
2. Decrease the thickness
3. Decrease the size
4. Request a standard neckband in a standard color
5. Eliminate colors
6. Have your art completed "in-house" if possible to avoid art charges
7. Change plating from "bright" to "antique"
8. Change from 3D design to 2D design

What's next?

We would be happy to give you pricing. If you are interested in a quote, send us an e-mail at contact@justawardmedals.com Give us as much information as possible including quantity, neckband requirements, size of medal, date required, finishes and if there will be anything on the back of the medal. ANY art you can send us will help. Quantity has much to do with pricing, and typical discounts appear at quantities of 300, 500, 1000, 2500 and 5000. We try to respond with quotes within 24-48 hours. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!