Printable Award Certificates

Make printable award certificates in seconds: pick an award, a border and colors, paste in a list of names, and download one PDF with a certificate for every name. These free printable certificates include a certificate of achievement for 20 awards such as Star Student, Honor Roll, Student of the Month and MVP, plus completion, graduation, participation and appreciation certificates, or any custom award you type. They make great certificates for students, teams, clubs and volunteers.

Free printable certificates, ready to print (PDF)

Each of these printable award certificates has a blank name line to fill in by hand. Choose Customize to type the names, the reason, the date and who signed it.

Printable award certificates for students: 24 awards

Also included: Super Speller, Super Helper, Great Job, Science Star, Creative Artist, Good Citizen, Super Writer, Spelling Bee Champion, Hard Worker and Leadership Award. You can rewrite the “for” line on any of them.

Certificate of achievement, completion, graduation or appreciation?

The heading at the top of our printable award certificates changes with the award you choose:

• Certificate of achievement: used for every named award, such as Star Student, Honor Roll or MVP. The award name appears in large letters under the heading.
• Certificate of completion: for finishing a course, a reading challenge, swim lessons or a summer program.
• Certificate of graduation: for preschool, kindergarten or fifth-grade graduation. Change the “for” line to name the grade.
• Certificate of participation: for science fairs, sports days and competitions where everyone who takes part gets recognized.
• Certificate of appreciation: to thank volunteers, coaches, room parents, classroom aides or teachers.

Four border styles and five color sets

Pick a border to match the moment; every style works with all of our printable award certificates. Stars and Confetti feel playful and suit younger children. Classic adds flower corners for a softer look. Formal gold uses a double gold and navy frame with diamond corners, which works well for honor roll, graduation and appreciation certificates for adults. Each style comes in rainbow, ocean, berry or forest colors, or in black and white to print on colored or parchment paper.

Award ideas for every student

Choose Custom award and your printable award certificates can recognize something specific about each child. Here are some ideas that go beyond grades:

• Curious Scientist for asking the best questions
• Bookworm for always having a book on the go
• Problem Solver for never giving up on a tricky task
• Kindness Ambassador for making new students feel welcome
• Math Detective for spotting patterns everywhere
• Best Listener for always hearing what others say
• Brave Learner for trying new things, even when they are hard
• Cheerful Helper for lending a hand without being asked
• Organization Pro for the tidiest desk in the room
• Storyteller for writing stories everyone wants to hear
• Green Champion for remembering to recycle
• Morning Sunshine for starting every day with a smile

What to write on an award certificate

The “for” line under the name is where printable award certificates become personal. Aim for one short, specific sentence that names what the child actually did. “For reading 52 books this year” means more than “for good reading”, and “for helping Sam learn his multiplication facts” means more than “for being helpful”. Praise that names effort and strategies, rather than talent alone, is the idea behind psychologist Carol Dweck‘s research on growth mindset, and it makes a certificate something children want to keep. Add the date and sign it by hand, even if you typed everything else.

How to print and present your certificates

• Use card stock (65 to 110 lb, or about 175 to 300 gsm) so printable award certificates feel special and survive the trip home.
• Print in landscape at actual size. Every certificate fills a US Letter or A4 page.
• Print a whole class at once: paste the class list into the names box, and every child gets their own page in a single PDF.
• Add a finishing touch with a gold foil sticker on the ribbon seal, or roll each certificate and tie it with ribbon for a graduation ceremony.
• Make it an occasion: read the “for” line out loud as you hand each certificate over.

When to give award certificates

End-of-year awards are the classic moment, but printable award certificates work all year: at the end of each term or grading period, after a reading challenge or spelling bee, at the end of a sports season, for honor roll each quarter, or as a monthly Student of the Month. A Certificate of Appreciation is a simple thank-you for volunteers at the end of the year or during your school’s teacher appreciation week.

Tips for end-of-year printable award certificates

• Paste your class list into the names box to make a certificate for every student at once.
• Give every child a different, specific award. Kids remember “for asking the best questions in science” far longer than “good job”.
• Save one certificate type for each child so nobody gets the same award twice in a row, and keep a list to vary them next year.

More printables

• Reward (sticker) charts.
• Chore charts and behavior charts.
• Printable paper.
• Printable planner generator for teachers and families.
• Bingo card generator for end-of-year parties.