Solution · schools and academic offices

Custom School Medals and Academic Awards

School award medals carry a one-time $80–$300 mold fee and take 18–25 days from approved artwork
to delivery; unit prices are quoted per order. Minimum order is 50, which covers a grade level or
one awards ceremony. Spread across a typical ceremony order, the mold fee adds under a dollar to a
few dollars per medal — the exact per-student cost is quoted with your quantity.

How much do custom school medals cost?

Two lines, both visible on the quotation. The mold fee is published and one-time: $80–$150 for a
standard 2D die, up to $300 for complex 3D relief — and it disappears entirely on a reorder of the
same design within 24 months, which is why schools that run the same ceremony every year pay for
tooling exactly once. The unit price for medals is quoted per order, because it moves with diameter,
thickness and quantity; request a quote with your ceremony size and you get real numbers within two
business hours. For scale: the mold fee spread across 150 medals adds roughly $0.55–$2.00 per medal;
spread across 300, roughly $0.27–$1.00. That arithmetic is why we put the mold on its own line —
you can see exactly when ordering more pieces starts saving money.

Custom school medals — what does a 100-student ceremony actually need?

Plan the order, not the medal. A 100-medal ceremony needs about 110 medals: 8–10% spare for tied
results, last-minute additions and the one medal that goes missing between the gym and the trophy
case. The mold fee lands once; the goods are quoted per order; ribbons are included and attached.
If your ceremony recognizes multiple categories — honor roll, perfect attendance, subject awards —
the economical structure is one neutral medal design differentiated by ribbon color per category,
rather than a separate die per award.

Which awards do schools order most?

Academic excellence (GPA and subject awards), graduation keepsakes, perfect attendance, sports day
placements, and student council or service recognition. The pattern across all of them: the medal
face carries something fixed — the school crest, the award name, the year — and the variable part
(student name, placing) either goes on the back by engraving or stays on the certificate. The same
mold with different enamel fills can serve the academic ceremony and sports day in one order, one
freight bill.

School award use cases — one mold, many ceremonies
Use case	Qty	Product	Unit price	Budget note
Grade-level academic award	100–200	2" (50mm) medal + ribbon	Request quote	Mold fee amortizes across the grade
Graduation keepsake	100–300	2" medal or 2" coin	Request quote	Coin preferred if it goes in a pocket
Sports day, multiple year groups	100–300	2" medal, colour split by year	Request quote	Same die, different enamel fills
Perfect attendance / service pin	50–200	1.5" (38mm) lapel pin	Request quote	Cheapest per unit

Can we engrave student names?

Yes, but do the arithmetic first. Per-piece engraving adds 2–3 days and is quoted on character
count; on 100+ medals it is the most expensive line in the order. Most schools instead leave the
medal back blank or carry a fixed inscription, and put the name on the certificate or a printed
label — the medal stays generic, the paperwork stays personal, and next year's reorder needs no
engraving at all. When names matter — a small honors cohort, a valedictorian set — engraving those
20 pieces is cheap and fast; engraving 300 is a choice, not a default.

Do schools pay tax or need a PO?

We issue a proforma invoice with line-item pricing and we can print your PO number on it, which is
what most purchasing offices need to cut the check. Tax-exempt handling varies by state and
district, so tell us your requirements at quote stage and we confirm what documentation we need
before the order starts. The invoice lists pieces, mold, packaging and freight as separate lines —
no lump sums, nothing for a business office to unpack.

Can a committee approve a sample first?

This is the standard school path, and it is built for committees. The digital proof is free and
unlimited — every committee member sees the same color mock-up on the actual die shape within 24
hours, and revisions are free until everyone signs off. For committees that need to hold the thing,
a physical sample ships in 48 hours for $30–50, and that fee is credited in full against the order.
Committee approvals usually close on the physical sample in one round.

Will it arrive before graduation?

Order 8–12 weeks before the ceremony and the calendar takes care of itself. Production runs 18–25
days from written proof approval; transit adds 3–5 days to a US address. The free digital proof
arrives within 24 hours of artwork — the schedule risk is almost never the factory, it is the
committee meeting that approves the proof. A rush option exists for the truly late, quoted per project and confirmed before you commit.

School award FAQs

What is the smallest order a school can place?

50 pieces. Most schools order 100–300 for a ceremony. Below 100 the
mold fee dominates the total, so we show the mold as its own line rather than folding it into
the unit price.

Can we have different medals for different subjects using one mold?

Yes, if the layout and die stay the same and only the enamel colour
changes. Different wording or a different crest needs its own die, so schools usually design
one medal with a neutral centre and differentiate with ribbon colour.

Do you invoice schools with a purchase order number?

Yes. We issue a proforma invoice with line-item pricing and can print
your PO number on it. Tax-exempt documentation requirements vary by state, so tell us at quote
stage and we will confirm what we need.

Get a school award quote
Check the per-student cost