How to Choose an Acrylic Award: Sizes, Styles, and Cost

Choosing an acrylic award comes down to three things: match the piece to the occasion, set a budget, and check the proof before it prints. Acrylic gives you a clear, modern, glass-like look for a fraction of crystal's price, which is why it turns up at corporate dinners, sports banquets, and employee recognition nights. Engraving and logo setup are free, there's no order minimum, and you approve a free proof before anything is made. This guide walks the real choices, size, style, decoration, and cost, so you order once and get it right.

Start with the material: cast vs. extruded acrylic

Here's the thing most buyers never hear. Quality acrylic awards are made from cast acrylic (poured between sheets of glass), also called lucite. Casting gives it the optical clarity and the clean, frosted-white line you want when it's laser engraved. Cheap extruded acrylic, the kind used for signage, engraves gummy and stays clear in the cut, so the text doesn't stand out. It's the difference between an award that looks the part and one that looks like a hardware-store offcut. Awards.com uses cast acrylic.

The material earns its place for three more reasons: it's about half the weight of glass, it's shatter-resistant (it survives a podium drop and cross-country shipping), and it cuts into custom shapes glass can't. Keep it out of long stretches of direct sun, which can yellow the clear edges over time, and it holds its look for years.

Match the award to the moment

The occasion sets both the size and the spend:

• Recurring recognition (Employee of the Month, top sales): a smaller piece around 6 to 7 inches that you can reorder and keep consistent across the set.
• Team and event awards (tournaments, sales contests): bolder shapes like stars and flames that photograph well on a stage.
• Executive and long-service milestones: a taller, heavier piece, 9 inches or more, often with a colored or full-color accent.

One sizing trap to dodge: a 6-inch award and a 10-inch award read completely differently on a stage versus a cubicle shelf, and it's easy to misjudge from a product photo. Check the listed dimensions, not just the picture, and think about where the award will live after the ceremony.

What it'll cost

Acrylic spans a wide range, so there's a tier for almost any budget. These are real pieces from our line (price varies by size and options, so check the product page for the current figure):

• Entry, around $20: the Lansing is a clean clear-acrylic award that handles volume recognition without looking cheap.
• Budget, about $25 to $40: pieces like the Toledo and the Nelson Star give you more presence and a defined shape for under forty dollars.
• Mid, roughly $45 to $90: the Piedmont and Beckenham, including full-color VividPrint versions, are the sweet spot for leadership and milestone awards.
• Premium, $90 to $150 and up: the Turello and Rosina Star carry the size and heft for your biggest night.

Because there's no order minimum, you can buy a single executive award or a hundred matching stars and the math still works. Free engraving and free logo setup mean the price you see is close to the price you pay, with no setup fee bolted on at checkout.

Clear, color-accented, or full-color

Acrylic comes three ways, and the look should match the audience:

• Clear acrylic is the glass look without the breakage or the price. It's the safe, professional default for corporate awards.
• Color-accented acrylic adds a colored layer or edge to clear acrylic. See color-accented acrylic awards for youth events, school programs, or a brand-color touch.
• Full-color (VividPrint) prints your logo and art in their real colors. A custom logo-cut award is acrylic's real edge over glass, since a multi-color brand mark is something engraving alone can't show.

For a different kind of keepsake, an acrylic embedment seals a logo, coin, or small memento inside the block. It's the classic format for deal toys and finance or M&A milestones, where the award marks a specific transaction.

Decoration: laser engraving vs. UV printing

Two methods, and the right one depends on what you're putting on the award:

• Laser engraving cuts crisp text and single-color marks into the acrylic. Use it for names, dates, titles, and clean line-art logos.
• UV printing lays full color on the surface. Use it for photos, gradients, and multi-color logos.

Plenty of awards use both, an engraved name with a printed logo. Either way, engraving and logo setup are free, and a real person will tell you if your logo file won't hold up before anything prints.

Avoid the common mistakes

The slip-ups we see most, and how to skip them:

• Skipping the proof. The proof is your last chance to catch a typo or a wrong date. We send a free one on every order and won't print until you approve it. Read every name out loud.
• Sending a low-res logo. A logo pulled off a website prints fuzzy. Send a vector file (.ai, .eps, .pdf) or a high-resolution PNG. Not sure what you have? Send it over and we'll check it for free.
• Cramming in text. A name, the honor, and the date read clean. A full paragraph turns into a cluttered plaque nobody reads. Save the story for the speech.
• Ordering too late. Custom work needs a proof round and shipping time. Order with a couple of weeks' cushion, and tell us your in-hands date so we can say straight whether we can hit it.
• Buying acrylic for the wrong reason. If you want the weight and glint of cut crystal for a top-tier honor, buy crystal. If you want a modern award at a lower price that travels well, acrylic is the better call. Our acrylic vs. crystal guide lays out when each one wins.

More guides before you order: acrylic award shapes and design, putting acrylic to work in an employee recognition program, displaying your awards, staying on budget with budget-friendly acrylic awards, and keeping them clean.

Acrylic Award FAQs

How much do acrylic awards cost?

Acrylic awards run from about $20 for an entry piece like the Lansing up past $150 for a premium award like the Turello or Rosina Star. Most land in the $45 to $90 range. Engraving and logo setup are free, and there's no order minimum.

Is there a minimum order for acrylic awards?

No. You can order a single award or several hundred. Many suppliers force a minimum quantity; we don't, so the same piece works for one executive honor or a full recognition program.

How long do acrylic awards take to make?

Most orders ship in about 6 days once you approve your proof. End to end, plan roughly 2 to 3 weeks, which covers the order, the proof round, production, and delivery. Large quantities or custom shapes can run longer, so tell us your in-hands date and we'll confirm it. If your event is close, ask about rush options.

Can I get my logo printed in full color?

Yes. UV printing (our VividPrint line) puts your logo on in its real colors, while laser engraving handles names, dates, and titles. Many awards use both. Logo setup is free, and we'll flag a low-resolution file before anything prints.

Will an acrylic award yellow over time?

Quality cast acrylic holds its clarity for years with basic care. It scratches more easily than glass, so clean it with a microfiber cloth and mild soap, never an ammonia glass cleaner, and keep it out of prolonged direct sun, which can yellow the edges over time.

Awards.com has made custom awards since 1985, 40 years of it, at our manufacturing locations nationwide. Every order comes with free engraving, free logo and setup, no order minimum, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and our lowest price guarantee. Browse the acrylic awards collection, or tell us about your event and we'll help you match the right piece to it.