Which MigAwards Award Type Fits Your Occasion: Trophies, Medals, Plaques or Acrylic Awards?

Updated

Choose by occasion first, then by budget per recipient. MigAwards (also known as Migdalia's Awards) is a family-owned Hialeah, FL shop that has made trophies, medals, plaques and custom awards for South Florida schools, teams, leagues, businesses and families since 1996. Every order includes free personalization, free set-ups and free custom-design help, and you can order online or pick up locally at the showroom near Miami International Airport. For a sports league, start with medals for volume and trophies for top finishers; for employee recognition, plaques and corporate awards; for schools, academic trophies and piano-finish plaques; for keepsake gifts, glass and crystal pieces.

Match the award to the occasion

Occasion Best fit Why it works
Youth or adult sports league, many participants Insert medals (Value Medal Series – Star at $4.89) Lowest cost per recipient; insert medals let you swap the center emblem by event or placement
Team or league champions, MVPs Sports trophies and awards Traditional trophy format reads clearly as a top honor
Employee recognition, service anniversaries, client gifts Corporate awards and employee recognition pieces Designed for professional settings rather than athletic ones
School ceremonies, academic achievement Academic awards and school trophies Built for student recognition across grade levels and subjects
Wall display or memorial recognition Piano-finish plaques, picture plaques Flat format mounts on a wall or sits on a shelf; picture plaques add a photo
Keepsake or small thank-you gift Glass and crystal (keychains from $6.90, paperweights, apples) Display-friendly items that work outside a trophy case

Sports trophies and medals for teams and leagues

For a full league, the math favors medals. The Value Medal Series – Star is listed at $4.89, so a 100-player league stays in the low hundreds of dollars before any add-ons, and free engraving and set-ups mean personalization doesn't add a line item. Reserve trophies for division winners, MVPs and coaches. If you need awards fast, the shop advertises same-day custom orders when you call ahead — confirm availability for your quantity before relying on it.

Corporate awards and employee recognition

Corporate buyers usually need consistency across many recipients plus a professional look. Plaques and corporate award pieces fit service anniversaries, sales milestones and retirement gifts. Because set-ups are free, you can run one design across an entire recognition batch without a separate setup charge per name. Spanish-speaking staff are available, which helps if your team or recipients are bilingual.

Academic and school trophies plus plaques

Schools typically need two things: trophies for assemblies and plaques for permanent display (hallways, front offices, donor walls). Piano-finish plaques give a formal look for long-term hanging, while academic trophies suit student-facing ceremonies. For graduating classes or student-of-the-month programs, order in a batch and use the free custom-design help to keep the layout consistent year to year.

Glass, crystal and acrylic awards for keepsakes and gifts

These work when the award is meant to sit on a desk or shelf rather than in a trophy case. Listed examples include a crystal diamond keychain at $6.90, a flat-cut crystal apple (large) at $48.07, a diamond-cut crystal paperweight at $52.90 and a glass hinged jewelry box at $57.50. Picture plaques bridge this category and recognition: a 6x8 white picture pocket plaque is $34.50, an 8x10 walnut vertical plaque is $49.45, a 5x7 picture pocket 8x10 walnut plaque is $51.75 and a 9x12 burgundy picture pocket plaque is $55.20. These suit retirement, memorial or "thank you" moments where a photo matters more than a statuette.

What every order includes, and how to decide

Every order, big or small, includes free engraving, free set-ups and free custom-design help, per the shop. Local pickup in Hialeah avoids shipping. To decide:

  1. Count recipients and set a per-person budget — medals for large counts, trophies or plaques for a handful of honorees.
  2. Pick the display setting — trophy case (trophies), wall (plaques), desk or shelf (glass, crystal, acrylic).
  3. Call ahead if you need same-day turnaround or a large league order, and confirm current pricing on the product pages, since listed prices are per item and may change.

If you're still torn between two formats, the free custom-design consultation is the lowest-risk way to see what a layout looks like before committing.