Custom Star Awards and Star Trophies

A star award is a recognition piece built around a star. Some are cut or cast as a star all the way through, and others are a crystal block, an obelisk or a wall plaque carrying a star accent, then decorated with the recipient name and the achievement. The shape reads as first place without needing a caption, which is why top performer and rising star programs keep using it. On this page star awards are made in materials including optical crystal, starfire glass, cast metal, stone and piano finish wood.

They describe the same category, and buyers use both words for the same kind of presentation piece. A star trophy usually means a taller freestanding piece on a base, such as the 11.5 inch cast metal star that sits above a cylinder base. A star award can also be a flat desk piece or a wall plaque with a star accent.

Sizes vary by piece. Several flat desk pieces measure about 4 inches across, a number of crystal and stone pieces sit between 5 and 10 inches tall, and one piano finish perpetual plaque runs up to 18 by 24 inches. Tell us which piece you have in mind and we will confirm the sizes it is offered in.

Optical crystal and starfire crystal are the most common materials here, and both take deep etching cleanly. Cast metal appears in plated and patina finishes, including 24 karat gold plating on an 11.5 inch cast star. Aluminum is used for tri star and chrome accented pieces, and black granite, sandstone and marble add weight to a base. Wood plaques appear too, in piano finish and rosewood, carrying a star accent above the engraving plates.

Choose crystal when the marking is the main event, because deep etch on optical crystal holds fine logo detail and reads through the piece. Choose cast metal or plated stars when you want color and weight on stage, since gold and nickel plating catch light from a distance. Stone bases sit in the middle and add heft under the star.

Yes. Deep etch is the most common decoration here. Other items take laser engraving, colorfill with the etch, a full color digital print, or in the case of one cast metal star, screen printing in one color and one location. Decoration areas differ by item: 1.25" x 1.25" on the back of the Standing Star Award, 3" x 3" on a cast metal star base, and up to 8" x 10" on the laser engraved brass plate of a rosewood wall plaque. Send your artwork and we will confirm which methods your chosen piece supports.

Many pieces on this page are quoted from a single unit, so one award can be ordered for one recipient. Minimums vary by item, so tell us which star award you want and how many you need and we will send exact pricing with decoration and shipping included.

Several items here list five working days from artwork approval, including the piano finish plaques and the crystal star paperweights, with shipping time added on top of that. Lead times are not the same on every piece, so send artwork early when the award is tied to a fixed ceremony date. We confirm the production window in writing with your quote.

Put the award name first, then the recipient name, then the year, with your logo above the text. On a piece with a small 2" x 2" panel, drop the award name and keep the recipient and the year so the text stays readable. On a perpetual board the plates are engraved one at a time, so each plate carries a single name as it is awarded.