86+ Award Certificate Templates

What Is an Award Certificate? 

An award certificate or simply a plaque of recognition or appreciation is a reward given to individuals with distinctive accomplishments. It is typically printed on a parchment paper and mostly enclosed in a frame. The basic elements of a creative certificate are the name of the recipient, the name of the company distributing said certificate, the signature, the date, and the description. It is also embossed with different designs and stylish fonts. Service award certificates, scholarship award certificates, and leadership award certificates are among the most commonly used. 

How to Create an Award Certificate

Crafting your award certificate can be fun as long as you know what you're doing. If you are having difficulty in making your modern certificate, there are various award certificates available online. These will serve as your outline when making one. Choose among the wide array of choices to use for your company. Below, we have provided you a shortlist of tips on how to create a presentable award certificate.

1. Start Off With Planning

To be able to produce a printable certificate, start off with planning. Draft everything on paper first before proceeding to the actual designing. While you're at it, estimate the space to be consumed by your layout. You can also decide on what paper to use and whether to enclose it in a frame or not.  

2. Use A Special Type of Paper

For something as special as a sample certificate, it deserves to be printed on a special paper as well. Believe it or not, usage of certain paper types have a psychological effect on your recipients. Ordinary papers just don't cut it. Parchment and heavyweight papers are among the most commonly used.  

3. Make Use of Designs and Fonts

Add a classy effect to your excellence certificate by incorporating borders, lines, and stylish fonts. However, for fonts, try to choose ones that are comprehensible. Try not to overuse these though because it can make the overall layout cluttered. 

4. Don't Forget About The Colors Too

Like designs and fonts, colors add life to your service or company certificates too. Make use of a color wheel to know which colors complement each other. If possible, use subdued ones so as not to irritate the eyes of the recipient. 

5. Strive to Make it Presentable and Worth Their While

With the two preceding tips, it's very important to know your limits. Your main goal should be to make your merit certificate presentable yet professional. Overdoing it can remove the vibe of professionalism. A monthly company assembly is a perfect time to give it. 

6. Review Before Printing

The last thing you want to happen is to give away a certificate that's filled with erroneous names, misaligned lines, and unjustified borders. Before you resort to printing, take a good long look at it first. Check and proofread everything especially the spellings. You can ask someone to review it for you and ask for their comments as well. After printing, review again for smudged inks.