How to Make an Award Wall for Your Office

One of the most impactful ways to thank your employees is by creating an awards wall—a spot in your office that houses and celebrates the awards your employees have received. So how do you make a memorable awards wall? We’ve got a few tips for you to try out in your office.

Here at Vermont Awards, we believe in the Three R’s: Recognition, Recognition, Recognition. In any business place, taking the time to meaningfully appreciate and thank your employees for their every-day-efforts makes for a better and more productive work environment.

Not only does recognition improve morale, it also improves employee retention rates. In a survey conducted by SurveyMonkey and Bonsuly, out of 1,500 respondents, 63% who were “always” or “usually” recognized for their work were very unlikely to job hunt in the next three to six months. Plus, in a survey done by Achievers, out of 1,700 respondents, 55% of respondents were looking to switch jobs, with “lack of recognition” as their number one reason for leaving. That’s why the Three R’s are so important: By recognizing your employees in a way they will remember, they will want to work in the positive workplace you have created.

One of the most impactful ways to thank your employees is by creating a dedicated awards wall—a spot in your office that houses and celebrates the awards your employees have received (and will continue to receive). By making an awards wall, your employees will see how much you appreciate them every day (and so will the clients who walk through your door). So how do you make a memorable awards wall? We’ve got a few tips for you to try out in your office.

Step One: Find Your Spot

To make an awards wall, you have to know where you’re going to put it. Your awards wall should be:

On a sturdy wall with lots of open space
In a central location in your office
Visible to both clients/consumers who visit and your employees
In a spot where someone can stand back and look at it (aka, not in a cramped hallway where you can’t stop and appreciate it)

If you have to move a few things to make your wall, don’t be afraid to change up your office space. An awards wall is important to any office and worth any extra elbow grease.

Tip: A sturdy wall is a wall with studs and support beams built into it. A wall that is just made of drywall might not be able to support multiple objects hung on it.

Step Two: Pick Your Theme

What are you going to include on your wall? Are you just going to include awards that were given to the company as a whole? Awards given to individuals in your company? Recognition awards presented within the company itself? Decide the theme of the awards that you’re going to put on the wall so you know what you need to start collecting. Organization will help you make the most appealing wall possible.

Bonus: If you want to surprise your employees, you can get a whole new set of awards based on each employees’ individual talents and contributions and theme your wall around this amazing surprise.

Step Three: Pick Your Centerpiece

To create a cohesive design, a great way to create a “focus” to an awards wall is by picking a centerpiece. This is the focal point of your wall—the item or design that will be in the very center of your awards collection. We suggest making this centerpiece something eye-catching, larger than everything else on the wall, and important to your company. This piece should shout-out your values and identity as a company to anyone who passes by it. Some ideas for a centerpiece could include:

Your company logo painted on your wall
A history of your company in a book, picture, graphic, etc
Your company motto or values
A photo of your company founders
A photo of your team
An award that was gifted to your entire company

Step Four: Pick Your Pattern

Before you start hanging, decide how you want your awards presented on your wall. By approaching your process with a plan, you’ll avoid ripping up your wall by moving around tacks and nails.

A few ways you can organize your wall include:

Getting custom shelving for all of your awards
Hanging your awards directly on the wall in a circle pattern, square pattern, or jumbled pattern
Using a mixture of shelves and on-the-wall hanging methods

We suggest picking a pattern that will not only look the most interesting, but will work within the space of your office. If the wall you picked is in a smaller room, installing large shelving units may make the space look cramped. Consider what you have room for in your office.

Step Five: Get Making

Now that you have your plan, put it up! Pick the craftiest person in your office to get this job done—aka, someone you can trust to make a design and use a hammer and nails. Or, you could even bring in a local artist or maker to create the wall for you.

Bonus Design Ideas:

If you want to take your wall a step further and really make your wall the statement of your office, you can add design elements that will make your awards pop even more. We’ve got just a few fun and creative ideas you can use on any wall:

Paint your wall an accent color
Add team photos or employee photos in and around the awards
Paint a quote on the wall that captures the essence of your company
Paint your company logo on the wall

Once the wall is up, show it off to your employees with an office ceremony. Present the wall, maybe even cut a ribbon or two, and make sure to take the time to talk about each and every one of your employees and why you are thankful for their work. A “thank you” goes a long way in fostering a positive work environment, and this wall will be a “thank you” every day to the amazing people of your company.

Looking to start your wall? Check out our inventory, crafted with care, here at Vermont Awards & Engraving.