Not every win at work shows up on a spreadsheet. Sometimes the most valuable contributions come from the person who always keeps things positive, the one who jumps in to help without being asked, or the team member who somehow makes Monday mornings bearable.
That's where fun awards come in.
Fun Awards aren't typical performance trophies or annual achievement plaques. Fun awards recognise the small, everyday things that actually keep teams running but rarely get formal acknowledgement. And here's the thing: they're becoming more popular in workplaces because they work.
This isn't about being casual or unprofessional. It's about seeing the full picture of what people bring to work every day.
What Are Fun Awards?
Fun awards are recognition categories that celebrate behaviour, attitude, and the unique ways people contribute. Think "The Problem Solver" for someone who always finds a workaround, or "Always-On-Time Champion" for the person who's never missed a deadline. Maybe "Team Cheerleader" for someone whose energy lifts everyone else up, or "Creative Thinker" for the one with ideas that come out of nowhere.
These are different from formal awards. Formal awards recognise performance, leadership milestones, and hitting targets. Fun awards recognise culture, attitude, and how people show up for each other.
But here's what matters: fun awards still hold real value when they're done thoughtfully. A well-designed, customised award, even for a fun category, shows that someone noticed and cared. It's not just a joke trophy. It's genuine appreciation.
Why Fun Award Matters
Modern workplaces look different from how they used to. Teams are spread across cities or are working from home. People are tired. Burnout is real. And those informal moments of appreciation, the quick "hey, good job" in the hallway, happen less often now.
Fun awards fill that gap. They create emotional connections in teams that might not see each other face-to-face regularly. They encourage participation across departments and recognise people who quietly keep things running but don't always speak up about it.
When someone gets recognised for who they are and how they work, not just what they delivered, it builds psychological safety. People feel like they belong. And that affects everything else.
Finding the Balance Between Fun and Formal
Here's what works: you don't have to choose between fun awards and formal recognition. The best events have both.
Use formal awards to recognise outcomes and achievements. Use fun awards to recognise behaviours and the kind of culture you want to build. One measures what got done. The other measures how people got there together.
We've noticed something at RD Custom Awards. Events that include both types of recognition see higher engagement. People remember them more. There's something powerful about honouring both the results and the people behind them.
Award Categories That Actually Resonate
Some fun award categories work better than others. The best ones feel specific and earned, not generic.
For culture and attitude, try "Culture Champion" for someone who lives your company values, or "Positive Energy Award" for the person who shifts the mood when things get tough.
For teamwork, "Go-To Teammate" works well. So does "Bridge Builder" for someone who connects people across departments or resolves conflicts quietly.
Even creativity awards can have a lighter touch. "Out-of-the-Box Thinker" or "Idea Spark Award" celebrate innovation without making it sound too formal or intimidating.
And then there are the everyday excellence awards. "Most Reliable" or "Quiet Contributor" recognise consistency and the people who don't need the spotlight but absolutely deserve recognition.
The key is this: these awards work best when they come with something tangible. Not a generic certificate. A customised award or appreciation memento that someone will actually keep and remember.
Timing Matters
Fun awards work in specific settings. Annual day celebrations, team offsites, quarterly town halls, and department events are all good opportunities. They work best as add-ons to other recognition, not replacements for performance awards.
Even small teams can use appreciation mementoes to create moments that stick. The size of the event doesn't matter as much as the thought behind it.
Why Customisation Makes the Difference
The downside of having fun awards is the overly simple nature of them. An award that reads, Fun Award, doesn't carry enough weight. However, an award that reads, "We Appreciate Your Hard Work In Helping Tom Get Dressed", along with the recipient's name, the finished year and event, would create a far more positive and individual response.
An award that includes personalisation transforms an award from a nice gesture to something meaningful. Personalising an award demonstrates that someone has taken the time to pay attention to what this person has done and why it is important.
At RD Custom Awards, we work with HR teams and event managers to create mementoes that reflect both company culture and individual personality. It's not about making everything serious again. It's about making sure the recognition feels real.
Recognition That Feels Human
Recognition doesn't have to be formal to be meaningful. In fact, some of the most powerful moments of appreciation happen when we step outside the usual categories and acknowledge people for who they really are at work.
Fun awards permit you to do that. They let you say thank you for things that don't fit neatly into job descriptions or performance metrics. And they remind everyone that work is still, at its core, about people.
When you think about your next company event or how to recognise your employees, why not do both? Give recognition for what got accomplished through a formal plaque, and in addition, share some fun awards for how those accomplishments were achieved, along with recognizing all the special contributors involved.
At RD Custom Awards, our philosophy is that when you give someone recognition, it should always feel personal, be unique, and be unforgettable, regardless of whether it's a traditional trophy or just a fun award that brings happiness. Because at the end of the day, both types are equally important.
