The Olympic Games in ancient Greece were one of the earliest forms of organized competition, dating back to 776 B.C. Winners of these games did not receive trophies or medals as they do today. Instead, they were awarded a laurel wreath or crown made from the branches of the olive tree—a symbol of honor and victory, this was their “award.” An intangible recognition of their feats, not a tangible object to be displayed.
Fast forward to the modern Olympic Games, winners are awarded medals—gold, silver, and bronze—which serve as a tangible representation of their achievement. These medals are the “trophies” of today.
The terms “trophy” and “award” are often used interchangeably, but they do have distinct meanings. Quite honestly you can continue to use the words how you like it and you will be just fine. No one will ever tell you why you are calling one an award and another a trophy or vice versa but often our customers ask us what’s the difference between the two. Even internally we have often had this conversation, should we call it an award or a trophy? So I decided to write this blog, talking about the difference between the two. It has everything I know and have learned in the past two decades. Hope it helps!
Like in the above example, Olympic Games show how an “award” can be a symbolic recognition of achievement, not necessarily a physical item. On the other hand, a “trophy,” illustrated by the modern medals, is a tangible item that serves as a lasting reminder of achievement and victory.
A Trophy
So, in essence a trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth levels to professional levels, but they can also be awarded for other types of achievements. They are usually made of metal, plastic, or glass and are traditionally in the form of a cup, bowl, or statue mounted on a base.
An Award
An award is a broader term used to describe any item or acknowledgement given to a person or group to honor their merit or achievement. Awards can take various forms including certificates, plaques, medals, pins, or ribbons, in addition to trophies. An award could also be non-tangible, such as a title, a designation, or a form of recognition that does not involve a physical item.
So in essence, while all trophies are awards, not all awards are trophies. 😀
A trophy is a type of award, a subcategory, signifying a specific form of recognition, usually tangible and durable. In contrast, an award is a more encompassing term that can refer to any form of recognition, whether tangible or intangible, lasting or temporary, presented for a variety of achievements or merits.
General Use of the Word Award and Trophy, especially in India.
In my experience, even in India we use the terms “award” and “trophy” interchangeably. It really seems to boil down to the common language within a company’s culture. At Pinnacle, we don’t have strict definitions either, but we do have a general guideline that seems to work well for us most of the time. At other times, we call it what resonates most with us. Simple.
Here’s what we typically categorize as trophies:
1. Golf Trophies: These usually have a taller, slimmer shape and can represent any kind of Gold Award related to golf. Golf Awards on the other hand, are broader. The same is true for cricket as well.
2. Trophy Cups: This one’s straightforward. Any cup-like structures, be it metal, crystal, or even MDF, are classified as trophy cups. It’s rare to hear anyone refer to them as Award Cups.
3. Crystal Trophies: Generally, the taller, slimmer crystal items that resemble sports awards or have the shape of cups fall under this category.
4. Metal Trophies: All metal cups are always Trophies. You will generally not hear anyone calling a metal cup an award. Also metal trophies come in all shapes and sizes. Often even small metal cups like 4” height or 6” height are referred to as Metal trophies. Remember the kind of trophies we got in school, really small in size? And of course, the large big cups and tall metal statuettes are also referred to as Metal Trophies.
As for awards, we usually refer to the following:
1. Award Certificates – generally awarded in a written form – on paper or electronic medium.
2. Long Service Awards – awards given to recognize years of service put in by a team member. It is rare to hear someone say Long service trophy.
3. Fun Awards: These are often small miniature awards given for a variety of achievements. Not sure why, but generally you don’t have a fun trophy.
4. Plaques: flat, mostly rectangular pieces of wood, glass, acrylic etc. that can be wall mounted or displayed on the desk. They all also fall into the category of awards.
5. Everyday Recognition Awards – A lot of different products fall in this category of everyday recognition like 3D frames, self standing miniature plaques, button pins, lapel pins etc and many more small awards made in glass, polyresin or crystal etc. And all of them are referred as Everyday Recognition Awards not as Everyday recognition trophies
Hope all these examples give you a good sense of general guidelines in terms of the difference between Awards and Trophies. And like I mentioned before, these are just guidelines. All these categorizations are most often used terms and are by no means universally established definitions. The terminology isn’t set in stone and can be adapted to suit the individual needs and preferences of each organization. What is used in your culture could be different from another company or your vendor partner.
For us at Pinnacle, assigning a name to an award is very important. We feel that pairing an award name with a befitting name brings it to life, giving it a soul!
