Budget-Friendly Acrylic Awards That Still Look the Part

You can hand out a great-looking award without spending crystal money. Acrylic awards cost a fraction of glass or crystal, and most people can't tell the difference across a banquet table. That's why they're the go-to when you need to recognize a whole team, a whole season, or a whole graduating class on a set budget.

What acrylic actually is

Acrylic awards are cast acrylic, also called lucite. It's a clear, lightweight plastic, not glass. That one fact explains most of the reasons to pick acrylic in the first place.

• Lower cost. Acrylic runs well below crystal or glass, so it stretches a recognition budget further, especially in bulk. An entry piece like the Lansing starts around $20, and most budget-friendly acrylic awards land between about $20 and $50. To shop straight to a budget, browse awards priced under $45.
• Shatter-resistant. Drop one and it usually survives. Glass and crystal don't get that luxury, which matters when awards ship or get handled at an event.
• Custom shapes. Because it's molded, acrylic comes in custom acrylic award shapes glass can't easily match, from stars to towers to your own logo cut to order.
• Full color. Acrylic takes full-color UV printing well, so a logo prints in its real colors instead of a single engraved tone.

Popular acrylic award styles

A few shapes do most of the work. Here's where each one tends to fit.

Acrylic plaques

The workhorse. A plaque gives you the classic recognition look for a lot less than a glass version, and there's plenty of room for a name, a title, and a logo. Good for service milestones and annual awards. Comes in rectangles, ovals, and other shapes, decorated with laser engraving or full-color printing.

Acrylic stand-up awards

Freestanding pieces with a modern look, common in corporate recognition programs. No separate base, so they read clean on a desk or shelf. Print or engrave them with whatever message the moment calls for.

Acrylic star awards

If your program has a "star performer" angle, the shape does the talking. Acrylic star awards hold a name, an achievement, and a logo, and they're a favorite for Employee of the Month and similar repeat programs where you need several at once.

Acrylic flame awards

Flame-shaped pieces suggest drive and momentum without the premium price of a sculpted crystal. They photograph well on stage, which makes them a solid pick for top performers and team wins.

Acrylic tower awards

Tall, vertical, and hard to miss on a shelf. Towers carry weight at leadership and long-service ceremonies, and you can add a logo, a date, or a quote to the face.

How acrylic gets decorated

Cheap doesn't have to mean plain. Our acrylic awards are personalized two main ways:

• Full-color UV printing. The big advantage of acrylic. UV printing puts a logo or artwork on in full color, so brand colors stay true instead of becoming one flat tone.
• Laser engraving. A clean, permanent way to add names, titles, and short messages. Free on every award we engrave.

One tip worth following: keep the artwork simple. A clean logo and the recipient's name read better at arm's length than a face crowded with text.

Picking the right one

Start with two questions: who's getting it, and how many do you need? A single executive award can justify a tower. A 40-person service program is better served by matching plaques or stars you can reorder. If you want to weigh the options first, here's how to choose an acrylic award that fits the job. If these are employee awards, consistency across the set matters more than any single piece standing out.

Match the style to the occasion:

• Employee recognition. Stars and plaques for Employee of the Month, top performers, and long-service milestones.
• Corporate events. Stand-up or tower awards for leadership and standout contributions.
• Sports and schools. Flame shapes or custom acrylic awards for academic and athletic wins, where you usually need a lot of them.

Why buy from Awards.com

We've made recognition awards at our manufacturing locations nationwide since 1985, so 40 years in. Engraving is free, logo and setup are free, and every order is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee and lowest price guarantee. If you find the same acrylic award cheaper somewhere else, tell us.

The shape and the printing are where you make an acrylic award feel like more than a giveaway. Pick a style that fits the person, keep the artwork clean, and let the budget go further than you expected.

Budget-Friendly Acrylic Awards FAQ

Are acrylic awards cheaper than crystal or glass?

Yes. Acrylic costs a fraction of crystal or glass, and the gap grows in bulk. That's the main reason teams pick it when they need to recognize a whole department or season on a set budget. Across a banquet table, most people can't tell the two apart.

Do cheap acrylic awards look cheap?

Not if the decoration is done right. Cast acrylic is clear and clean, and full-color UV printing keeps brand colors true instead of one flat tone. Keep the artwork simple, a clean logo plus the recipient's name, and the piece reads sharp at arm's length.

How do I keep acrylic award costs down?

Order matching styles you can reorder, stick to a standard shape, and buy the set together. Engraving is free on every award we engrave, and logo and setup are free too, so the decoration won't pad the bill. There's no order minimum, so small programs aren't penalized either.

Can I get better pricing on a bulk order?

Acrylic already stretches further in volume, and every order is backed by our lowest price guarantee. Find the same acrylic award cheaper somewhere else and tell us. With free engraving, logo, and setup baked in, the quoted price is the real price.