52 end-of-year award ideas for teachers, sorted by age group and type, each with a line of wording. Choose Make this award to open the certificate maker with the award name and wording filled in, then add your class list.
Updated 28 October 2026, ready for the end of the 2026–27 school year.
A certificate for every student, in one evening
Pick one award per student. Use the groups below as a menu; the same award can go to more than one child if the reason is different.
Write the list in a spreadsheet: a Name column and an Award column with each child's reason. The award title can go at the start of the reason, for example “Kindness Award – for making sure nobody felt left out”.
If each award should have its own title on the certificate, make one batch per award: choose Make this award, paste the names that get it, print, then do the next.
Preschool, kindergarten and reception
Young children cannot read most of the certificate, so the title does the work: short, concrete and easy to say out loud when you hand it over. Pick something you have actually seen the child do.
Super Helper Award
Hooray for [Name] For always being ready to help a friend or a grown-up
From about age six to eleven, children notice whether an award is fair. Give every child one, keep the reasons specific, and mix effort and character awards with subject ones so nobody is left with a consolation prize.
Most Improved Reader
Congratulations to [Name] For growing from picture books to chapter books this year
Older students tend to prefer awards that sound like recognition rather than prizes. Plain titles and one specific sentence work better than jokey ones; for a leaving year, mention what they contributed to the school.
Outstanding Academic Achievement
In recognition of [Name] For outstanding results across all subjects this year
These recognise the things report cards miss. They also make sure every child in a class gets something true about themselves. Keep them positive: avoid titles such as “Most Talkative” that read as a telling-off.
Ray of Sunshine Award
Presented to [Name] For a smile and a kind word, every single day
Attendance and sports awards are often printed in larger batches for a whole year group. Use one design for everyone and put the event or the term in each person's own line.
Perfect Attendance Award
Awarded to [Name] For being here every day of the 2025–26 school year