Esports has a trophy problem, and organizers know it. The production values of a modern tournament are broadcast grade, with lighting rigs, casters, and overlays that would embarrass some cable networks. Then the grand final ends, and too often the winning team gets handed something that looks like it came from a bowling banquet in 1987. The trophy is the one physical object that survives the event, shows up in every winner photo, and sits in the team facility afterward. It deserves the same intent as the broadcast.
Whether you run a collegiate program, a LAN series, a high school league, or a corporate gaming event, this guide covers what to look for in esports trophies and awards, the formats that photograph well on a stage, and the providers who can actually deliver them.
What to Think About Before You Order
Start with the stage moment. Esports trophies get hoisted, and they get photographed from ten feet away under stage lighting. That argues for size, verticality, and reflective materials. A 9 inch desk award that would be perfect for an office ceremony disappears on a stage. Think about what the trophy looks like held overhead by five players at once.
Then think about the archive. Recurring tournaments build equity through their trophy the same way traditional sports do. If your event will run annually, consider a design that stays consistent year over year, or a perpetual format where each season’s winners are added to the base. That continuity is cheap to set up in year one and impossible to retrofit in year five.
Customization depth is the third factor. Gaming events live on branding, and a trophy that carries the event logo, game title, season, and team name reads as legitimate in a way generic hardware never will. Laser engraving handles logos and text cleanly on metal and acrylic, so ask any provider what artwork formats they accept and whether engraving happens in house. In house engraving also means a misspelled team name can be fixed in hours, which matters when rosters finalize a week before the event.
Finally, budget across the whole bracket, not just first place. Winners get the centerpiece, but finalists, MVPs, and all tournament selections all expect something. A good provider helps you build a tiered package where the totals still fit a sponsor budget.
Trophy and Award Formats That Work for Gaming Events
Championship Centerpieces
The main trophy should read from the back of the room. Tall metal cup builds like Viking’s 17 3/4 inch Silver and Gold Star Metal Cup Trophy have the height and shine that stage lighting rewards, with the 14 inch and 11 inch versions working as second and third place tiers in a matched set. For a modern sculptural look that fits esports branding better than traditional figures, premium pieces like the Triumphant Award in the 10 inch size or the 9 inch version sit at the high end where a title sponsor’s name belongs.
Team and Finalist Awards
Runner up teams and event MVPs are where acrylic shines. Engraved acrylic takes logos and gamer tags with sharp detail, and a piece like the Gold and Black Victory SunRay Acrylic has a look that fits a gaming aesthetic without trying too hard. The smaller 5 by 8 inch format works for individual honors like MVP or all tournament team. Viking’s broader acrylic awards range covers colorways to match almost any event branding, and crystal awards step things up for invitational winners and organization level recognition.
Player Medals for Bracket Depth
Leagues and LANs that want every placing player to leave with something use medals, exactly like traditional sports. Laser engravable designs such as the Bright Gold Victory Cup Flame Medal and the Antique Bronze version take event names and game titles on the face, giving you gold, silver, and bronze tiers that work for any game without sport specific artwork getting in the way.
Perpetual Trophies for Recurring Series
A league that runs every season should keep one trophy in circulation with winner plates accumulating on the base. Large cups like the 15 1/4 inch Gold Winged Easy Cup are built for exactly this, and the format turns your trophy into the league’s historical record. More options live on Viking’s trophies page.
Best Providers for Esports and Gaming Tournament Trophies
1. Viking Awards
Viking Awards has been building custom awards since 1973, and their setup fits esports orders unusually well. Everything is engraved in house at their Illinois shop, which means event logos, game titles, and team names go onto metal, acrylic, and crystal with quick turnaround and quality control that survives late roster changes. The catalog spans stage scale cup trophies, modern acrylic and crystal pieces, tiered medals, and perpetual formats for recurring leagues, so an organizer can build a complete awards package for winners, finalists, and MVPs through one vendor. Rush timelines and bulk league orders are standard work for them. Website: viking-awards.com. Phone: (630) 833-1733.
2. Crown Awards
Crown Awards carries a dedicated video game trophy category with esports themed inserts, figures, and medals at volume friendly prices, plus free engraving on trophies and same day shipping on in stock items. For a school league or community LAN outfitting a large bracket on a budget, their scale is the advantage. Website: crownawards.com. Phone: 800-227-1557.
3. Dinn Trophy
Dinn Trophy, family run since 1956, maintains an esports and video game awards category that includes holographic frame trophies, gamer figure builds, medals, and plaques. Free personalization on trophy plates and an established mail order operation out of West Springfield, Massachusetts make them a steady option for school and youth gaming programs. Website: dinntrophy.com. Phone: 800-828-3466.
4. K2 Awards
K2 Awards stocks a gamer trophies category featuring controller figure awards alongside customizable insert trophies, with free engraving and a money back guarantee. Based in Richmond, Virginia, they suit smaller tournaments that need a handful of pieces without minimums. Website: k2awards.com. Phone: 804-784-7298.
5. Trophy Depot
Trophy Depot runs a video gamer category that stretches from glow in the dark spinning insert medals under three dollars up to championship award belts, which covers both budget brackets and events that want something theatrical for the winner photo. Free shipping applies over $100. Website: trophydepot.com. Phone: 800-286-7096.
6. All Time Awards
All Time Awards is a San Diego custom shop with over 25 years in the awards business that has leaned into esports, producing custom acrylic gaming displays, crystal championship trophies, metal medals, and resin gaming figures. For West Coast events wanting fully custom fabrication rather than catalog pieces, they are worth a call. Website: alltimeawards.com. Phone: (858) 277-4165.
The companies listed above reflect editorial opinion only and are not ranked in any particular order of preference or quality beyond the first position. This list is independent and should not be taken as an official endorsement or paid ranking. Contact details are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change.
Mistakes Tournament Organizers Keep Making
Sizing for a desk instead of a stage is the most common. If the winner photo is the point, and in esports it usually is, the trophy needs to read at distance and look right held overhead. When in doubt, go taller.
Leaving engraving until rosters lock is another. Event name, game, and season can be engraved weeks early, with team names added at the end. A shop with in house engraving can split the work that way. If you wait and submit everything at once during event week, you are betting your ceremony on someone else’s queue.
Treating the trophy as an afterthought line item is the third. Organizers will spend thousands on overlays and talent and then balk at a few hundred dollars for the object every camera will point at. Sponsors understand trophy placement instinctively, and a title sponsor logo on the championship trophy is easy inventory to sell.
And skipping finalist recognition stings more in esports than elsewhere. Teams grind online qualifiers for months. A second place team that walks off stage with nothing tells every competitor how the event values them.
How to Choose
If you need one fully bespoke sculptural piece and have the budget and lead time, a custom fabricator is the right call. For everything else, which is most events, a full service awards shop with in house engraving gives you the centerpiece, the tiered team awards, the medals, and the plaques in one coordinated order with one deadline. Ask to see examples of engraved logo work, confirm what happens if a team name changes late, and get the full package quoted together rather than piece by piece.
Competitive gaming has earned real trophies. Give your winners something that looks as good in their team facility next year as it did under the stage lights. Viking Awards has been building exactly that kind of hardware for over fifty years, and they treat a gaming league’s deadline with the same seriousness as any championship.
Phone: (630) 833-1733
Website: viking-awards.com