The cup is the trophy everyone pictures when they hear the word. It is the shape hoisted at championships, the shape on the shelf in the clubhouse, and the shape a league chooses when it wants a trophy that will outlast the people who ordered it. Cup trophies come in more forms than most buyers realize, from a sculpted crystal cup for a corporate award to a kit a shop assembles to a specific height for a league. This guide explains each type, how sizing and bases work, how perpetual cups are built, and how to order one that fits the occasion.
Types of cup trophies
Completed metal cup trophies
A completed metal cup trophy arrives fully assembled: a plated metal cup with handles, mounted on a wood or marble base, ready for an engraved plate. These are the traditional championship cups and come in a range of heights from a foot to well over two feet. Gold and silver plating are standard.
Best for: league championships, tournament titles, perpetual trophies, any trophy meant to look like a trophy.
Trophy cups
The trophy cups category includes metal cups in a range of styles and finishes, some sold as cups alone to be mounted on a base of the buyer’s choosing. This is useful when a league wants a specific base, or when a shop is building a custom height.
Best for: custom builds, replacing a cup on an existing base, matching an older trophy.
Crystal cups
A crystal cup is a cup form in optical crystal, engraved directly into the crystal rather than on a plate. It has the silhouette of a championship cup with the clarity and weight of a crystal award. Crystal cups are the choice when the occasion is corporate or formal and a metal cup would look too athletic.
Best for: sales awards, President’s Club, corporate championships, sponsored tournament trophies, awards presented at galas. The crystal trophy collection includes other crystal forms for the same uses.
Easy cup kits
An easy cup kit is a cup trophy supplied as components that a shop assembles: cup, riser or column, figure if any, and base. Kits allow the trophy to be built to a chosen height and style at a lower cost than a completed cup, and they let a league order the same design in several sizes for first, second, and third place. Kits come in styles such as the silver winged easy cup kit in heights from 11 to 15 inches and the banner easy cup kit in heights from about 10 to 15 inches.
Best for: tiered placing trophies, youth and adult leagues, budget conscious championships that still want a cup.
Bases
Bases in wood, marble, and composite in various sizes are the foundation of every cup and column trophy. A larger base adds stability and provides room for perpetual plates. Bases also determine how a trophy feels in the hand: a heavy base on a modest cup reads as substantial, while a tall cup on a small base reads as top heavy.
Sizing a cup trophy
Height is measured from the bottom of the base to the top of the cup, including any figure or lid. A rough guide:
- 10 to 14 inches: placing trophies, division winners, individual honors, desk sized corporate cups.
- 15 to 20 inches: team championship trophies for most youth and adult leagues, school conference titles.
- 21 to 30 inches: presentation cups meant to be photographed and hoisted, perpetual league trophies.
- Over 30 inches: large tournaments, sponsored events, multi tier cups built on request.
For a set of first, second, and third place cups, step the heights by two to three inches so the hierarchy is visible at a glance. Easy cup kits in a single style make this simple.
Perpetual cups
A perpetual cup stays with the league and gains a plate each year. Three things make it work.
The base must have room. Choose a base large enough for ten or more plates around its sides or on a tiered riser. Some leagues add a second, wider base beneath the original when the first fills.
The plates must match. Order a supply of blank plates with the trophy, and have the shop engrave them as each season ends so font and size stay consistent. Viking Awards keeps plate layouts on file for repeat engraving.
The cup must be durable. A perpetual cup is handled every year, often at a party. A metal cup on a solid wood base survives this. A crystal cup is better suited to a perpetual trophy that stays in one place, such as a corporate lobby.
The perpetual trophies vs perpetual plaques guide weighs the cup against a wall mounted alternative.
Engraving a cup trophy
Metal cups are engraved on a plate mounted to the base, and sometimes directly on the cup itself for the event name. Crystal cups are engraved directly into the crystal, which is permanent and elegant but means a proof matters more.
For a one time championship, the plate carries the event, the year, Champions, and the team. For a perpetual cup, the header plate carries the league name and founding year, and each yearly plate carries the season, the champion, and the record. A logo engraved on the base or the cup requires a vector file.
Choosing between metal and crystal
Metal says sport. Crystal says achievement. A youth soccer league wants a metal cup. A sales organization wants crystal. A corporate golf outing could go either way, and often chooses metal for the perpetual trophy and crystal for the sponsor awards. Weight is a consideration too: a large crystal cup is heavy and fragile to ship, so Chicago area buyers often pick up in person.
Ordering timeline
Completed metal cups and crystal cups from stock can be engraved in a few business days. Easy cup kits add assembly time, usually a day or two. For championships where the winner is unknown until the final, order the cup early with the event engraved and have the winner’s plate engraved the day after the game. The how long it takes to get a custom award made guide has a full planning calendar.
Related reading
For sport specific championship trophies, see football championship trophies, basketball championship trophies, and golf tournament trophies. For fantasy leagues, the fantasy football trophy ideas guide is built around perpetual cups. The sports awards guide covers the full picture, and the types of awards and trophies guide compares cups with every other format.
Cups for occasions beyond sports
Cup trophies are not limited to athletics. Sales organizations use a perpetual crystal cup for the top region each year. Schools use a metal cup for a spirit competition or a house system championship. Companies use cups for internal competitions like a chili cookoff or a safety challenge. Fundraising events use a cup for the top donor team. Bar leagues, trivia leagues, and bowling leagues all want cups. The shape carries a sense of competition that a plaque does not, which is why it works for any contest with a winner.
For these uses, the kit approach is often ideal. An easy cup kit in a modest size with a plate that reads the competition name and the year is inexpensive, looks like a trophy, and can be reordered in the same style each year.
Lids, figures, and risers
A metal cup can be topped with a lid, sometimes with a figure, which adds height and formality. A riser between the cup and the base adds height without a larger cup. A figure on a column beneath the cup turns it into a sport specific trophy. These are the components that let a shop build a cup to a specific look and height from stock, and they are why two cups of the same height can look quite different. When ordering, describe the look you want and let the shop suggest the build.
Cleaning and care
Plated metal cups tarnish slowly in humid air. A soft cloth and a mild metal polish restore them. Crystal cups need only glass cleaner and a lint free cloth. Keep both out of direct sun and away from heat sources, and store perpetual cups in a case or on a stable shelf between seasons.
One more practical note. A cup trophy that will travel between winners each year benefits from a simple carrying case or a padded box, which the shop can supply with the trophy. It costs little and prevents the dented handle that eventually appears on every perpetual cup that has been passed around a parking lot.
Where to order
Viking Awards in Westchester, Illinois has built cup trophies since 1973 and stocks completed metal cups, trophy cups, crystal cups, easy cup kits in multiple styles and heights, and bases in every size. Assembly and engraving are done in house, so a league can order a perpetual cup, a set of placing cups, and the yearly plates from one shop and have them match for decades. Chicago area customers can pick up in person. Everything else ships nationwide. Call 630-833-1733 or use the contact page.