Complete Guide to Customizing Racing Medals and Ribbons

Everyone loves to be recognized for their accomplishments! Whether their goal was academic, athletic, or otherwise, you know you can make someone feel special with a medal commemorating the occasion. We’ll go through from start to finish on every element of a racing medal that you can customize.

What to Think About Before Customizing Your Medal

Size of the Medal

We see racing medals of all sizes in production throughout the year. Different events you participate in will require different medals. You wouldn’t give a 5-inch medallion out at an elementary school graduation. But you can give a smaller 1.5” medal out instead! We have a standard size medal of 2.5” on the longest side, but we can adjust the size according to whatever you have in mind. The reason I clarify “longest side” rather than “diameter” because not every medal has to be a circle. We die-cut the medals according to your design, so you are never limited to just doing a circular medal.

Medal Colors

We use the Pantone Matching System (PMS) to create our custom metalworks. Pantone Colors is a collection of colors we can recreate in the physical world, so it’s the best way to select your colors. Digital designs, while beautiful, sometimes use colors that simply can’t be remade physically without adjusting the design. Try going to a local hardware store and take a look at their selection of Pantone paints. It gives you a good idea of what your options will be. It guarantees your racing medal will look exactly how you want it to.

Ribbon Design

So many of our customers are shocked when we tell them we can customize their ribbon. There’s no need to order your medal and ribbon separately! Making sure you find a team that does both ensures that your ribbon will hold your medals safely and securely. Come in with a design in mind and we can produce ribbons that exemplify your event’s aesthetic.

Customizing Your Racing Medal and Ribbon

Medal Customization

Metal Plating

We have several plating options that you can choose from for your custom medals, anything from gold to silver to bronze and more. We can easily plate more than one style to produce placement medals for marathon or 5k race events. Making sure you know what plating types you can use to customize your medal is essential to find out what the price will be.

Enamel Color and Fill

Because we work with Pantone colors, you have a plethora of colors to use as you please! We can adjust how filled the mold of your medal will be to give your medal either a softer smooth finish or a textured finish. If your medal has extremely small details or gradient colors, don’t worry! We give you more options for customization later in this blog that covers those issues.

Ribbon Customization

Length and Width

We can adjust the length and width of the racing medal’s ribbon to match your needs. Don’t worry if you won’t be wearing your ribbon over your head! We ensure the ribbon will be able to hold the weight of your custom medal no matter how you present it.

Full Dye Sublimation

We make our ribbons using PMS to create the physical colors, but with a fun twist. Because we print on the ribbon directly, we can create softer gradient shades on the ribbon. So if your design has smaller details or soft color changes, we can adjust to that!

Two Sided Design

We don’t have to print your design only on one side! If you don’t want your consumers to worry about which way to wear a medal, we can print on both sides of the ribbon. Two-sided ribbons are great for events with a large group of runners who will speed through the finish line and miss which way they need to get the medal on.

How To Even Further Customize Your Medal

Enamel Type

We don’t have to stick to soft or hard enamel as options for adding color to your design. Say that your event is running at night and needs to be able to be seen in the dark. You still want your design to be recognized! We have several options for you to choose from other enamel types:

• Glow-in-the-dark enamel: We can create medals with enamel that glows in the dark, perfect for late-night events.
• Glitter enamel: We have enamel with different levels of glitter mixed into the colors. It gives your custom medals an extra flare compared to any other medals they might receive.
• Transparent enamel: We love recommending transparent enamel for any designs that have water on them. The enamel is slightly clear and shows the mold of the medal behind it, making it look as though the medal is filled with water. Transparent enamel is also great for 

Direct Printing

If you have a design for your medal where you can’t compromise the details, we can adjust it to meet that need! With direct printing, we can take any detailed photo and print it onto the medal. Then we coat that print with a clear coat to preserve it and make it shine like a metal and enamel color.

Gemstones and Pearls

We offer gemstones for the more commemorative recognition medals and medallions that are used for events like graduations. These gemstones are in a variety of colors and can be used to add even more value to your custom medals. We also offer pearls that can be attached to the medals! These additions can give your medal flare that stands apart from any other race your runners will be a part of.

Interested in Making Custom Medals?

We’ve created custom medals for all kinds of events and races of all distances. We’d love to work with you and go step-by-step in making your medals and ribbons the kind of prize anyone would run to show off!