Free Award Certificate Templates

What Is an Award Certificate?

An Award Certificate is a document prepared to celebrate a certain achievement of an individual. Whether you want to praise the accomplishments of a person or a group of people, say a sincere "thank you" for their help during a hard time for you or show your gratitude to the employee who has done outstanding work, a Certificate Award will help you boost the self-esteem of the award recipient and motivate them to do an even better job in the future. You may use this document in any industry and for people of all ages to raise their mood and create a positive atmosphere in your family or at work.

Check out our library below to see a full list of Award Certificate templates.

What to Write on a Certificate Award?

Follow these steps to draft an Award Certificate:

Write down the title of the document - the words "Certificate Award" or "Certificate of Achievement" should be bigger than the rest, preferably in a different color as well.
Include a sentence "Awarded to" or "This award is presented to" and leave a line for the recipient's name. To make an award more personal and memorable, you should write the name of the individual with your own hand instead of typing it out.
Insert a line that briefly explains the reasons for presenting an award - there is no need to add too many details, and if a person excelled in many areas, select their biggest accomplishment or try to summarize it the best way you can - for instance, "for outstanding contribution and dedication to our company".
Record the date the certificate is presented, print it out, and sign the document.
Save a copy of the editable Award Certificate especially if you are going to organize similar events or there will be a need to recognize the accomplishments of others in the future. A blank Award Certificate you can customize in minutes will save you time whenever you want to publicly praise someone's contribution to the common cause or project.

How to Make an Award Certificate?

If you want to create an Award Certificate from scratch, here are some ideas you may use:

A certificate can be even more special if you add an inspirational quote that can be applied to the award recipient - if they succeeded academically or professionally, you should find a quote that highlights their perseverance and commitment.
In case the individual in question won a monetary prize or a sum of money will be donated in their name to a charitable cause, consider reflecting it in the certificate to give the award extra weight and make the achievement even more meaningful.
To create a visually pleasing document, you should use no more than three fonts when working on the Award Certificate design. If the upcoming event is formal or you are presenting the certificate to a subordinate or colleague, consider using Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Georgia; however, if the certificate is a gift to a loved one or you are making it for an elementary school or kindergarten, you may use more playful fonts and even download calligraphy fonts for the software you have.
When it comes to colors and ornaments, keep it minimalistic unless the recipient of the award is a child or you are creating a certificate for a friend or relative - in the latter case, it is recommended to insert drawings or designs. For instance, a certificate presented to an athlete after they won a sporting competition should contain the attributes of a particular sport and a picture of the cup.

Haven't found the template you're looking for? Take a look at the related templates below: