Types of Medals Explained: Gold, Silver, Bronze & Custom Award Medals

Quick answer: Award medals are usually sorted four ways: by placing (gold for first, silver for second, bronze for third), by finish (shiny, antique or matte), by material (metal, plastic or timber) and by how personalised they are (stock, personalised with your logo, or custom cast). At Trophy Shop Australia, engraving is free on every medal.

Is antique gold better than shiny? Will a ready-made sport medal do, or does the club want its own design? This guide explains the different types of medals so you can match the right one to each award.

If you're still deciding between medals, trophies and plaques, start with our complete guide to trophies, awards, medals and engraving in Australia.

What Do Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals Mean?

In most ranked sporting competitions, gold medals recognise first place, silver medals recognise second place and bronze medals recognise third place.

The familiar system comes from the Olympic medal tradition, which first awarded gold, silver and bronze to the top three at the 1904 Games in St. Louis. Even Olympic gold medals aren't solid gold: they must be at least 92.5% silver with a minimum of six grams of gold.

Outside competitive events, a gold medal of achievement can recognise exceptional academic performance, personal improvement, leadership or sustained dedication rather than a first-place finish. Our achievement medals are made for that.

For a 1st, 2nd and 3rd set, use one design in all three colours so the podium reads at a glance.

Types of Medals by Finish and Material

Most ready-made medals come in gold, silver and bronze. Custom medals widen the choice of finish: shiny, antique or matte versions of each colour, plus black nickel, black dye and antique pewter.

 

• Shiny finishes catch the light and look bright on a presentation table.

• Antique finishes darken the recessed areas so the raised design stands out, giving a classic look.

• Matte finishes are soft and understated, and show fewer fingerprints.

 

Most medals in our range are metal, commonly zinc alloy, iron or steel, with a smaller choice of plastic and timber. Plastic medals are often chosen for big participation days and very young children. For a major award, custom medals can be made thicker or in a heavyweight option, and wooden medals paired with a ribbon made from recycled PET are another option if you'd like an alternative material.

Stock, Personalised and Custom Medals: What's the Difference?

This choice has the biggest effect on cost and timing, so settle it early.

Type	What it is	Timing	Best for
Stock medals	Ready-made design for a sport or theme	Ideally order 2–4 weeks ahead	Schools, clubs and regular presentations
Personalised medals	Existing design featuring your logo	1–5 days, plus delivery	Branded awards with shorter deadlines
Custom cast medals	Original medal cast from your artwork	4–6 weeks after artwork approval, plus delivery	Large quantities and signature events

 

Stock medals suit most presentations. You choose a design for the sport or theme in gold, silver or bronze, and the engraving is added free. When you're ready to compare designs, buy medals online from the full range.

Some medals have a recessed centre that holds a separate disc, called an insert, so one medal can carry different sport designs or a logo.

Personalised medals feature your club, school or business logo and are produced in 1–5 days. They're the quickest way to put your branding on a medal.

Custom medals are designed from scratch and cast to your specifications: a wide variety of shapes and sizes, in your colours, with options such as a 3D effect, colour fill, a design cast on the back or a coin-style finish. They carry a setup fee, and the factory keeps the die on file for three years without use before recycling it. That makes them poor value for small runs but more cost-effective as quantities grow, so ordering a couple of years' worth can pay off. Allow extra time for artwork preparation, revisions and approval, and tell us your event date before placing a time-sensitive custom order.

The trade-off works the same way for trophies, and our guide to choosing between custom and stock trophies walks through it with examples.

Types of Medals by Occasion

·        Sport. Choose from athletics, football, netball, cricket and many more sports, and our swimming medals cover everything from club nights to school carnivals.

·        School. For presentation nights and sports days, academic and school medals cover classroom achievement as well as school sport.

·        Workplace. Corporate achievement medals suit sales milestones, service anniversaries and team awards.

·        Community events. At fun runs and charity days, every finisher often receives the same medal carrying the event name and year. Earlier this year we supported the Bourne 4 Life community event. Bourne 4 Life raises awareness of mental health, addiction and suicide prevention.

 

Medal Ribbons, Cases and Presentation

Custom medals can come with a plain or fully customised neck ribbon in several widths, attached to suit the design or sewn on. There's no artwork fee for a printed ribbon, though it costs a little more than a plain one.

Keepsake awards can be presented in a clear PVC bag, red velvet bag or box, clear acrylic case, coin capsule or display stand.

 

Can Medals Be Engraved?

Yes. At Trophy Shop Australia, engraving is free on all trophies and medals and is done in-house at our Wangara workshop. The available engraving area and personalisation method depend on the medal selected.

Ordering engraved medals online is straightforward: after checkout we email you an engraving link that opens a spreadsheet already listing every medal you ordered, and you can keep editing it until production starts. Already have a typed list? Reply to your order confirmation with the Excel or Word file attached; handwritten notes and scans can't be accepted.

Our guide to how online engraving works and what to send covers name checks and the mistakes that lead to a reprint.

For short wording that fits a medal, see our trophy engraving ideas.

How to Choose the Right Medals

1. How many medals, across how many categories? Count every age group, division and placing, and add a few unengraved spares for late entries.
   
2. When is the presentation? Ask any supplier for production time in working days, and whether freight is included. Our guide on how to find a reliable local engraver lists the other questions worth asking before you pay.
3. Keepsake or participation? For a Best and Fairest award, consider a heavier medal, premium finish or presentation case to distinguish it from participation awards. Participation medals can be simpler and identical for everyone.
4. Does your logo need to appear? Choose personalised medals for speed, or custom medals for a design that's entirely yours.
5. What's the budget per medal? Setting a budget across a full season of awards? Our seven-step buying guide shows how to work out quantities and a realistic budget.

Ordering Medals from Trophy Shop Australia

We're a medal shop and engraving workshop under one roof in Wangara, WA, supplying clubs, schools, businesses and community groups across Australia. We recommend ordering two weeks to a month before your presentation.

You can collect from Wangara, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or have your order delivered Australia-wide by StarTrack.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different types of medals?

Award medals are usually grouped by placing (gold, silver, bronze), finish (shiny, antique, matte), material (metal, plastic or timber) and personalisation (stock, personalised or custom cast). Medals are also classed as military, service and commemorative, but clubs and schools usually order award medals.

Are gold medals made of real gold?

Rarely. Award medals for clubs and schools are gold-finished metal. Even Olympic gold medals must be at least 92.5% silver, with a minimum of six grams of gold.

What is the difference between a medal and a medallion?

In everyday use, the two words often mean the same thing. "Medallion" tends to describe a larger or heavier medal, or a coin-style disc presented without a neck ribbon.

How long do custom medals take?

At Trophy Shop Australia, custom cast medals take 4–6 weeks from approval of final artwork, plus delivery. If that's too long, personalised medals featuring your logo are produced in 1–5 days.

Where can I buy medals online in Australia?

You can buy medals online from Trophy Shop Australia for sport, school, corporate and community presentations, with free engraving on every medal. Check production and delivery timing against your event date before ordering.

Find the Right Medals for Your Next Presentation

The right medal depends on more than its colour: the event, the recipient, the finish, the personalisation and the time you have all shape the choice.

When you're ready, explore our medal collection or browse our online trophy shop in Australia. Need help choosing? Call 1300 121 242 or email info@trophyshop.com.au.