Display Cabinet for Awards, Medals and Trophies

For the longest time, I've been contemplating on what to do with the kids' certificates, medals, ribbons, trophies and other awards stashed away somewhere around the house. Fortunately the kids have had their share of recognition from academics, sports and music.

Some of these awards, like the trophies, are displayed on top of bookshelves and dividers. Of course, you know that aside from the dust and cobwebs enveloping them, these awards are no longer that presentable.

So after a few weeks of organizing the kids' stuff, I found a way to showcase their achievements in a display cabinet that I call the "Achievers Corner". Shown below is the culmination of that project.


The idea for the awards display cabinet first came from my sister who was surprised to learn that I left my trophies and plaques at the office in my previous company. I just didn't see the need to bring all those technical awards to our new house and hang them on our walls.

I don't see the relevance anymore. The awards, most of them for the publication of technical papers, were meaningful during my employment at the company. And so I left them there, where they were displayed, as is.




But before I left, I took photos of my old office, as well as the plaques on the walls and the trophies on the table - just for memories' sake. I also took home the usable frames that held some of the award certificates.

The soft-bound publications of various symposia where my technical papers were published and presented meant more to me. Unlike the plaques and trophies which needed walls and spacious shelves to place them, the symposia publication fit well in any ordinary bookshelf.

The awards that I took home were the medals and trophies awarded by the Toastmasters organization. Toastmasters is an international organization and so is known globally.

It remains current just like Lions Club, Rotary Club, Kiwanis and others. I continue to become a member of Toastmasters and so those awards have meaning to me.


Inspiration for the Awards Display Showcase

My sister later added that she had a classmate once whose dad had built a display showcase for the classmate and her siblings. Apart from its purpose as a display, it was meant to foster some sort of healthy competition among the siblings.

I suppose this is to see as to who gets the most awards. Now if it's really HEALTHY competition, then I suppose that's okay.

But the idea of having a display cabinet to showcase my own kids' awards, I thought that was a cool idea. The kids still have their medals in little cardboard boxes, but in so many different places around the house.





Advantages of Displaying Medals in an Awards Cabinet

  1. Physically preserve the awards

    When I was growing up, I don't recall a display case for my own awards - not that there were many. I had my own cabinet drawer, yes, but as the kid I was, I'd just toss my medals and certificates in the recesses of the drawers and forgot about them.

    One day, after many years, I discovered certificates rotted, the medals rusted and ribbons torn and tattered. Termites, moisture and mold simply took over.

  2. Store the awards in one place

    I knew retrieving the kids' awards from many nook-and-crannies will be a big task. But doing that task now while they're in good condition will be worth it rather than waiting down the line.

    Putting them all in one place would also free up space from drawers, shelves and cabinets.

  3. Source of pride and inspiration

    We don't have too many visitors at home. Occasionally though, visitors would ask about our kids. What better way to take pride and talk about the kids than to simply point visitors to the Achievers Corner.

    If the Achievers Corner inspires the kids to really do their best in academics, sports, hobbies or wherever, then it has served its purpose.

See the continuation of this article for ideas on displaying awards.



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