# Award ideas needed



## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

We have a yearly award given to a member of our Canadian avalanche search dog group that has provided exceptional service/dedication to the organization. I would like to formalize the award.

I would like to have it be an award that the member keeps for the year and then gives to the next recipient. I would like it to be able to hold all the names of the members that have ever received it.

Anyone have any interesting ideas for this kind of award for a dog program? I don't want it to be a plain cup kind of trophy. 

Thanks in advance.


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## Thomas Barriano (Mar 27, 2006)

My Schutzhund Club has a custom made (different types of wood) SchH III Dumb Bell with brass plaques on the ends to engrave the high Club dog score for the club trial. It stays with the winner for the year. Is there any piece of unique SAR equipment you could do that with?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Jennifer Coulter said:


> We have a yearly award given to a member of our Canadian avalanche search dog group that has provided exceptional service/dedication to the organization. I would like to formalize the award.
> 
> I would like to have it be an award that the member keeps for the year and then gives to the next recipient. I would like it to be able to hold all the names of the members that have ever received it.
> 
> ...



Crystal? Etched?


http://www.fineawards.com/sp-1-1-CN/Crystal-Trophies-and-Awards1.html


http://www.diyawards.com/?gclid=CMLtjtONnrUCFe5xQgodW0kALQ


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Thomas Barriano said:


> My Schutzhund Club has a custom made (different types of wood) SchH III Dumb Bell with brass plaques on the ends to engrave the high Club dog score for the club trial. It stays with the winner for the year. Is there any piece of unique SAR equipment you could do that with?


Oh, I like this better than mine.


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## leslie cassian (Jun 3, 2007)

The first club I belonged to had a beautiful bronze dog head sculpture that was awarded yearly to one of the members. 

Not sure how much you want to spend, but maybe commission a piece of original sculpture by a local artist? Mount it on a pedestal to attach the plaques with names.


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## Jami Craig (Jul 5, 2010)

leslie cassian said:


> The first club I belonged to had a beautiful bronze dog head sculpture that was awarded yearly to one of the members.
> 
> Not sure how much you want to spend, but maybe commission a piece of original sculpture by a local artist? Mount it on a pedestal to attach the plaques with names.



you could also commission a piece designed to be cast and purchase those rights if you plan on awarding it to multiple people, may be cheaper in the long run and unique to your group.


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## Dave Colborn (Mar 25, 2009)

Jennifer Coulter said:


> We have a yearly award given to a member of our Canadian avalanche search dog group that has provided exceptional service/dedication to the organization. I would like to formalize the award.
> 
> I would like to have it be an award that the member keeps for the year and then gives to the next recipient. I would like it to be able to hold all the names of the members that have ever received it.
> 
> ...


I'd get a six cell maglite and engrave it with the names and year...or maybe a big ass lantern to stick with that theme. 

Nothing like a light in the dark to make you feel less like a lower part of the food chain when you are lost or alone and hurt....I'd lean more towards something with fire. that would be more from the rescued perspective, but maybe relevant.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

If it was me I would go with a really nice high quality progressive plaque.

Double plated, with lasered plates.

Just me though. You can spice it up with laser work on the header plate and show nice one color images..or go with sublimated color if desired..

I say this for a couple reasons (after working on and repairing all kinds of traveling awards for a few years, including the goofiest of the goofy).

It hangs on a wall, far less chance for damage.
Any part can be remade if needed for reasonable fee.

Whatever you do decide on, a tip....use a shop that uses computers and is decent, not someone that uses mechanical engravers. And take it back to the same shop continuously. They will have all the layout on file and should be able to match up everyting perfectly. same spacing, same sizes, same fonts, and will be able to remake any part of the original work that they did..

things get beat up, knocked off, dropped, etc etc..when they go from home to home.. a nice plaque will hold up very well for many many years..

if you go with crystal or acrylic, also use the same shop everytime...

just my .02 from being in the awards business


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Joby Becker said:


> If it was me I would go with a really nice high quality progressive plaque.
> 
> Double plated, with lasered plates.
> 
> ...


Do you have some photos or websites that show the kind of work you are talking about?


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## Christopher Smith (Jun 20, 2008)

I would love to receive something like this.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

Christopher Smith said:


> I would love to receive something like this.



THAT is REAL NICE!!!

There are lots of real nice things..this one is awesome.

Lots of things will be great (like this), and will last a LOOONG time, as long as the people that get them respect them and treat them well.

Jennifer, I will PM you some plaque stuff, but something like this is pretty damn impressive compared to a plaque on the wall...LOL as long as it didnt get dropped. I especially like this one if the dogs are metal and not resin cast...


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## Karen Havins (Apr 22, 2012)

You are looking for a Perpetual Trophy...we do this in the horse world as well....something like this:

http://www.hodgesbadge.com/georgian-cup-w-perpetual-base/p/CWS3131/

You can put those tiny silver plaques on each side of the base...so you have at least 32 years of use of of that Trophy. You have the Silver top part engraved with the award. 

Our favorite that I won one year was also from Hodges but it was the large classic silver bowl! 

It's a fantastic idea, I wanted to start it in the bulldog world, but was told we'd never get the trophy back! lol


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## Meg O'Donovan (Aug 20, 2012)

I like the maglite idea because it is something useful. 
I also like the idea of an award with "spread effects", i.e. one that keeps on giving.

Depending on budget constraints, consider this:

A simple but really nice (grained) piece of B.C. wood, burned (not looking DIY) with names of winners, or with small, simple metal tags. That is the traveling part of the award. 

For the more "lasting" part of the award, a donation to a mountain rescue organization in a developing country. It is important that the candidate organizations for such funding have some kind of connection with your group (through personal relationships) to avoid misspending or misappropriation of the money. The annual donation might be done in the name of your organization, or in the name of that year's winner. 
Or if you don't want to go with an indigenous mountain rescue group in a developing country, consider making an annual donation to a school or health clinic in a very rural, mountainous area in one of those countries. Again this is best done through personal connection of someone in your organization who travels to that place and can set up the connection.

If either of these seems too complicated (at least in the setting up) consider an annual donation in the winner's name to Heifer International, and maybe you can give a preference for a mountainous country such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bolivia, Peru, or? Or look at Kiva.org to see if there are any interesting groups in mountain communities that deserve a "jump start".

For a homegrown option, I recommend giving the hardcover book, "John Clarke: Explorer of the Coast Mountains". He was an esteemed B.C. mountaineer who "explored more virgin territory and racked up more first ascents" than any other climber in B.C. (and maybe elsewhere?). He was passionate about the mountains and set up the Wilderness Education Program that worked to get youth into the mountains and caring about them. It is not a dull book because he lived a full, sometimes wild, life. He died of cancer at age 58, and I think profits from the book are going to his young son (only child who was a baby when John died). The book is published by Harbour Publishing in B.C. so it contributes to the local economy too. Lots of b/w pix in the book. If you love mountains, you will like the book. It was published in 2012.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Christopher Smith said:


> I would love to receive something like this.


So would I. That's really nice work.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

A couple of thoughts having been involved in this type of award before.

1) the passed around trophy is nice, but it's also nice for the person to receive something smaller that they can keep/display permanently so after they give back the big award they still have something

2) the organization giving the award should take care of any engraving/etching that needs to be done. Nothing says "oh neato" like being handed an award then told you are responsible for spending the $ to get it engraved

3) you need some sort of plan in place to make sure you get the award back each year. More than one perpetual award has gone missing when the person it was given to refused to give it back for whatever reason (damaged, lost, no longer with the group/organization, or just being a butthead)

4) if awards are going to be mailed make sure there is some sort of packing, preferably the stuff it came in originally, for the person to use, keep, then use again when they return it. Otherwise there is a good chance of it getting damaged in transit depending on the packing job.

5) keep track of the engraving information, ie font type, size, etc so if you can't go back to the original store each time the person handling having the new tag made knows what to use so they match.

I've seen some nice large plaques with engraved metal tags on them, I also really like the idea of the statue with a large base for tags.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Christopher Smith said:


> I would love to receive something like this.


Care to donate this as a trophy to a volunteer organization of dedicated dog AND avalanche professionals???!!!!!!

Now I will never find something good enough :sad:


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks for the great ideas and advice everyone....keep em coming!


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Jennifer Coulter said:


> Care to donate this as a trophy to a volunteer organization of dedicated dog AND avalanche professionals???!!!!!!
> 
> Now I will never find something good enough :sad:


He might not but let me know if you are looking for a sponsor when you finally come up with something. It wasn't a rescue team that retrieved my brother-in-law from the mountain when he was killed but I do have a vested interest in supporting groups that do what you guys do.


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## Christopher Smith (Jun 20, 2008)

Jennifer Coulter said:


> Care to donate this as a trophy to a volunteer organization of dedicated dog AND avalanche professionals???!!!!!!
> 
> Now I will never find something good enough :sad:




I have collect this type of stuff for years and have some good contacts. PM with your budget and time frame and I might be able to help you out. 8)


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Christopher Smith said:


> I would love to receive something like this.




I did the trophys for a couple of working terrier shows and a Kerry Blue specialty. At one time I did a lot of sculpting and even did cold casts of some of my stuff but the cost of materials was off the charts unless you have a good market for it.


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## James Kotary (Nov 14, 2012)

That looks very nice. Wonder if you could get one made with a dog and a handler with room for name plates for recipients? Represent both dog and human, that would be nice...JMO <(-=


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