Customizable Awards Ceremony Template

About this template

This awards ceremony template was created for our 2023 virtual event, Into the Miroverse, which brought our community together to celebrate collaboration, creativity, and innovation. We used this template to announce the 2023 Miroverse Choice Award winners at the end of our live event to drum up excitement and delight for attendees.

This universe-themed template has 10 modules that each contain three nominees and one winner across 10 categories. You can delete or copy/paste to add or remove categories based on your awards. Adapt and reuse this template to suit your own requirements and preferences, including visual identity/theme, fonts, color scheme, and language.

How to use this award presentation template

• Gather the award results: Having your categories, nominees, and winners prepared in a single document will help you easily populate the template.

• Add or remove categories: Customize the template to represent the correct number of categories in your awards by deleting unnecessary sections or adding more.

• Add your nominees and winners: Place the correct information about each nominee in the dedicated sections. Consider whether you’ll include their full name, picture, video clip, or other information that will support your awards ceremony.

• Conceal the winner for each section: Place the envelope graphic over the top of each winner and “lock” the envelopes in place to ensure attendees can’t move it. During the ceremony presentation, you can unlock the envelope with a single click and move it aside to reveal the winner live for the audience.

• Allow time for feedback: After revealing the winners at your ceremony, prompt your participants to leave feedback and share excitement around the nomination by using the dedicated sticker pack below each category.

Who can use this template

The awards ceremony template can be used by Community Managers, People Team Leads, Educational Organizations, NPOs and any other groups that utilize awards as an engagement tool. You can even use it as a fun activity with friends and family!

How to plan an awards ceremony

1. Identify the goals for your project: Whom are you targeting as nominees and voters? How many of them do you expect to participate? Do your goals for the awards ceremony correlate with your larger event, product, or community objectives?

2. Identify the award categories and criteria: Determine which awards you’ll give out and how many winners will receive them in each category. For example, you might have a runner-up and a winner who both receive awards. Or, you might have first, second, and third-place prizes. To decide, consider the amount of time you have for the ceremony, how many categories for which you’ll award winners, and what your audience values most. Remember to create a specific set of criteria to guide the nomination, voting, and selection process.

3. Decide how to conduct voting: Will your winners be chosen by a popular vote, a panel of judges, or some other method? In this example, a panel of judges pre-selected the nominees based on the criteria for each category, and then opened a public vote to determine the winners. You might decide to let your audience vote to select both the nominees and the winners in two separate voting periods. 

4. Select a voting method or platform: There are many options including voting in person on a paper ballot or using an online polling platform such as Slido or SurveyMonkey. To decide, consider your voters — it should be simple and fast for them to leave their vote. Remember to include relevant details about the categories and nominees to help voters make informed decisions.

5. Announce and promote the voting period: Encourage voter participation by clearly communicating the voting period and instructions to your audience. Besides posting information on social, forums, chats, etc, make sure to contact each nominee. 

6. Once the voting period is closed, tally the results and add them to the board: After the ceremony, consider sharing the board on social or via email so your audience can revisit the results. In this example, we also prepared digital banners that each nominee and winner could share with their supporters and follower on their personal website, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

What happens at an award ceremony?

An awards ceremony is usually an exciting, engaging, and fun event that is hosted on its own or at the end of a larger event such as a conference, team-building event, school year, or project. Here are several common activities that take place at an award ceremony:

• Opening remarks: The ceremony usually begins with an introduction by a host or organizer, setting the tone for the event and providing an overview of what attendees can expect. The host might also review criteria to remind attendees how nominees and winners were selected.

• Presentation of awards: Each award category is announced, and the nominees are acknowledged. The winner is then announced, and their name is typically displayed on screen. In some cases, pre-recorded acceptance speeches may be played, or the winner may be invited to give a live speech. In this template, you will click and drag the envelope away to reveal the winner underneath.

• Speeches and tributes: Special guests, industry experts, or honorees may deliver speeches or tributes, reflecting on the significance of the awards and acknowledging the accomplishments of the winners. These speeches may be pre-recorded or delivered live.

• Entertainment: To add excitement and entertainment to the ceremony, performances such as musical acts, dance routines, or other artistic displays may be included. These performances can help maintain engagement and energize the virtual audience.

• Networking and mingling: Online awards ceremonies often include opportunities for attendees to interact and network with each other. This can be facilitated through live chat features, virtual breakout rooms, or dedicated networking sessions where participants can connect and engage in conversations.

• Social media engagement: Many online awards ceremonies encourage attendees to share their experiences on social media platforms using event-specific hashtags. This helps generate buzz, promote the event, and allows participants to connect and engage beyond the virtual environment.

• Closing remarks: The ceremony concludes with closing remarks from the host or organizer, expressing gratitude to the attendees, winners, and participants for their support and contributions. Any important announcements or upcoming events may also be shared during this time.

To decide on the format, activities, and sequence of events for your award ceremony, consider the event's purpose, audience, and stakeholder preferences.