How to make a certificate of achievement

Certificates of achievement are great morale boosters for kids and adults alike. They can be made easily and give pleasure to the recipient who can add it to their portfolio or certificate wall. Read on for how to make your certificates of achievement.

Making your certificate

Choose a card that will stand out. There are different colours available and you can also go for premium marbled or glossy card for a more professional look. A4 card will be suitable and you can decide whether to use this in landscape or portrait orientation. Choosing a border Some certificate card already comes with a border. If not, you will need to add in one yourself. Open up a Word document and first set it to landscape or portrait. Click on the page borders icon and choose something that is suitable for your certificate. For instance, if it is a kid's swimming award, using wavy blue lines or for a drawing achievement, use a border of pencils. You can also go online to find other decorative borders for your certificate. Add in text Start by adding in the first line of your text. This should state what the certificate is for. You can head the cert ‘Certificate of Achievement’ but continue with something like ‘in Arts & Crafts’ or ‘for participation in 2011’s Summer camp’. Let your recipient know exactly what they have done to receive your certification.

More text and graphics

Next, add the line – is awarded to – in smaller text. Following that on a new line, add their name. Change fonts at this point and use something like Lucinda Handwriting for the name. You could also leave it blank and fill it in later, by hand, with an ink or calligraphy pen or a pen with a different colour gel. Sign and date On the left-hand side, leave an underlined space for a signature on your achievement awards and give details of the organisation or manager that is awarding the certificate. On the right-hand side, date the achievement. If your company has a seal or logo, add that in here too. Finish off Finish off by adding in a graphic or image if that is appropriate. To complete, you could have the award certificates framed, laminated or placed in a certificate wallet for safekeeping.