How To Make Winner Medals Stand Out

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: It's race day and the winners have just crossed the finish line.

They're buzzing and ready for their big medal moment.

But then, they receive the same medal as the people finishing behind them… and the person who finished last.

It's a bit of a let down, right?

At Badges And Medals, we understand how crucial it is to have different medals for winners and participants.

With over a million medals under our belt, we've seen first-hand how this separation can boost people's motivation and satisfaction. In this article, you’ll discover six easy ways to make your winner's medals stand out from your participants.

Why do winners' medals need to stand out?

As an event organiser, you want every racer to feel appreciated.

But let's be real: giving the same medal to everyone isn't the way to go.

Your winners have accomplished something amazing by finishing first - a feat they've worked hard for.

They deserve something that reflects that. 

By giving different medals to winners and participants, you acknowledge everyone's hard work while clearly distinguishing between completing your event and excelling in it.

This inspires all participants to push themselves harder, aiming for those coveted top spots.

Design ideas for winner medals:

Here are some of the best ways to make your podium medals more distinctive, from the least expensive to the most.

1. Use different medal colours for winners

One of the best ways to separate winner medals from participant medals without a complete redesign is to choose different colours. Everyone knows the significance of gold, silver, and bronze, but some use these colours across all their medals.

For example, they make all their participant medals silver - the same as second place.

This makes the winners feel less special.

By reserving these iconic colours for your podium medals and choosing a different colour for participant medals, you better highlight your top performers.

Take Triathlon Tauranga, for example. They gave participants of their Women's Triathlon black medals, which you can see below. It made the triathlon's gold, silver, and bronze podium medals stand out more.

The best news? This option is free.

Why? Because to change the medal's colour, you change the material used to coat it.

This coating, called plating, is only a few microns thick, so the cost of the metals is small. The main cost comes from the labour, which stays the same no matter what colour you choose because the process doesn't change.

2. Engrave the back of the winners’ medals:

The most popular way to differentiate podium medals is to engrave the back of the medal.

This approach allows you to use the same medal and ribbon for everyone, but gives extra recognition for the top performers, without the cost of designing new medals.

Typically, people engrave the event’s name and “Winner” on the back but keep in mind that the more specific you are, the more personal it feels for the winner.

For example, engraving "2025 Boston Marathon Winner, U18s Male" feels more special than "Winner".

Doing this ahead of time is key.

It ensures everything runs smoothly on the big day and shows your winners that you’ve planned to celebrate their success.

To do this, ask your supplier to engrave the back of your podium medals when you place your order.

This will cost you about US$0.40 per medal.

3. Use the same medals but different ribbons:

Now, let’s dig into another great way to make your podium medals pop: different ribbons.

The idea is to use the same medal for everyone but give the winners distinct lanyards.

First place gets one ribbon, second place another, third place yet another, and participants receive a standard ribbon.

It’s a small change that can have a big impact.

So, what does it cost? Suppliers will often charge a setup fee for each new ribbon design.

At Badges And Medals, this is US$23 per design.

So, if you want a unique ribbon for first, second and third place, this would cost you US$69 more in setup fees than giving everyone the same ribbon. (The cost of the ribbons themselves stays the same.)

While this is more expensive than engraving, it’s worth the investment.

It makes the medals look distinctive and impressive in a way that engraving alone might not achieve.

4. Give winners a gift:

When it comes to distinguishing winners from participants, a great approach is to give your podium placers something extra.

This means that instead of creating entirely different medals, you can give them an item that highlights their achievement.

This method is best for those who want all their medals to look the same, but still want to recognise those who excel.

A fantastic example of this is the Melbourne Marathon, where winners received a custom-made coin or trophy along with their medals..

The cost of this option depends on what extra item you want to give participants.

5. Use different medals with different ribbons:

One of the best ways to set your winners apart is to design a different ribbon and medal for them.

You can choose something completely different - such as a new shape or feature - or simply switch out the colour scheme used on your participant medals.

Either way, everyone knows who the top finishers are!

This option is on the pricier side because suppliers need to design and create at least two different medal and ribbon designs.

They charge for each new design to cover the cost of making medal moulds and setting up their machines.

At Badges And Medals, we charge US$85 for a new medal design and US$23 for a new ribbon design.

So, this option will set you back about US$108 more than using the same medal and ribbon for everyone.

6. Choose a different medal type for winners:

One of the most striking yet less commonly known ways to distinguish winners from participants is to choose a different medal type.

There are many different types in the world to choose from but wooden medals are the most popular for this purpose.

Take MS Walk, Run, Roll for example.

Their participants were given custom wooden medals, which you can see below.

Meanwhile, their winners received custom metal medals.

The contrast between the two types is immediate and powerful, even though they use the same colours.

Metal medals tend to be seen as more prestigious because they're generally more expensive than wooden ones, making your winners feel more valued.

The cost of this option depends on the types of medals you choose, as different types have varying price points.

However, at a minimum, you will pay for two different medal designs.

At Badges And Medals, we charge US$85 per medal design, so you will spend at least US$85 more on this option than giving everyone the same medal.

Get your free winner and participant medal designs:

It's important to thank participants while celebrating winners.

At Badges And Medals, we understand how important this distinction is to you.

That's why we've provided you with the tools to make your podium medals stand out from your participant medals.

But don't stop here. Let's take the next step together.

Contact us today for a free design using one of the options we've discussed.

We're excited to help you bring your vision to life!