HACKATHONS · PITCH COMPETITIONS · DEMO DAYS
Hackathon trophies
nobody else has.
PrintAWorld makes custom hackathon trophies in New York: your logo, mascot or a robot, keycap or rubber duck, sculpted in 3D, painted gold or plated, on a marble or wood base. At PrintAWorld a grand-prize trophy starts at $250, plus a one-time $250 modeling fee; category awards can be laser-cut acrylic, and minis cover every team. Standard turnaround is 4–6 weeks, rush 1–2 weeks. We ship to all 50 states.
01 / IDEAS
Hackathon trophy ideas
that aren’t generic.
A stock cup says “we ordered trophies.” A trophy shaped like your company or the event says you thought about it. These are the ideas we’re asked for most.
- Your logo, sculpted
- The logo as the trophy, with real depth, in gold or your brand colors. Logo trophies ↗
- Your mascot or AI character
- The company mascot, or the face of your AI product, in a winning pose on a base. Company mascot figures ↗
- Your product at desk size
- The device, the chip, the robot or the app icon, sculpted as the award. Product-shaped trophies ↗
- A giant keycap
- An oversized keycap with the winning team’s name on the top, or an Enter key for the grand prize.
- A robot, a rocket or a circuit board
- A little robot, a rocket on a launch plume or a chip with gold traces: shapes every builder reads at a glance.
- The rubber duck
- Every developer’s debugging partner, in gold. We’ve made a hackathon duck before; it’s in the photo above.
- The inside joke
- The event’s theme, its code name or the thing that broke at 3 a.m. Tell us, and we’ll sketch it.
02 / PRIZES
Hackathon prizes
for every winner.
Most hackathon prize lists are gift cards and gadgets. A trophy is the prize that stays on the desk and shows up in the team photo.
- Grand prize
- One signature trophy, 8–12 inches tall, sculpted for the event.
- Category prizes
- One design for every track (best use of AI, best design, people’s choice), each with its own engraved plate. On a tighter budget, laser-cut acrylic awards with your logo printed in color match the grand prize. Custom acrylic awards ↗
- A small prize for every team
- Mini figures of your mascot or logo, about 4 inches tall, on small weighted bases. Large runs (around 200 pieces) start at about $80 per piece for a 6-inch painted figure, our lowest price. Size, detail and finish change the price; smaller runs cost more per piece.
- Pitch competitions and demo days
- An award for the winning pitch or the best demo, often a rocket, a lightbulb or the accelerator’s logo.
- Judges, mentors and sponsors
- A smaller matching piece to thank the people who made the event happen.
03 / PAST PROJECTS
Hackathon and tournament
trophies we’ve made.
Described without client names, which we keep private.
- 150 mini gold mascots
- Mini gold mascot figures, about 4 inches tall, sent to the attendees of a software company’s developer hackathon. The same company had us make 12-inch mascot trophies for its offsite tournament.
- Gold slingshots on marble
- Hackathon trophies for an AI startup: 7-inch gold-painted slingshots on real marble bases with engraved plaques, made in about 2.5 weeks.
- Esports championship trophies
- For a gaming publisher’s tournament: a monster head about 15 inches tall in weathered gold for first place, silver and bronze pieces for second and third, delivered in hard cases.
- The hackathon duck
- A matte black duck on its own display block, for a hackathon ’s winners.
04 / FROM OUR STUDIO
Trophies from
our New York studio.
Real pieces from our studio. We don’t have photos of the slingshots or the mini mascots to show yet.
05 / AT A GLANCE
Hackathon trophy price,
size and timing.
- Price
- From $250 per trophy. Gold-painted resin usually costs $250–$750; metal-plated or complex pieces run $750–$2,000 or more. A one-time 3D modeling fee of $250 covers most designs, however many copies you order.
- Prizes in bulk
- Large runs (around 200 pieces) start at about $80 per piece for a 6-inch painted figure, our lowest price. Size, detail and finish change the price; smaller runs cost more per piece.
- Size
- Trophies are 8–12 inches tall as standard; mini prizes are about 3–4 inches. Taller pieces are quoted with your design.
- Gold paint or plating
- Gold paint is the quick, lower-cost finish and the one we use most. Metal plating is a real metal layer over the resin: it looks like metal, isn’t solid metal, and adds time.
- Bases and plaques
- A pre-made 4-inch wood base (heavy, with room for plates) takes a top up to 8 inches. A real marble base is about 2 inches tall and takes a top up to 8 inches, 10 inches overall. Each base gets an engraved plate with the team or category.
- Timing
- 4–6 weeks standard; 6–8 weeks for plated pieces (plating takes 6–8 weeks after the 3D model is approved). Rush in 1–2 weeks is possible for many trophies, depending on complexity, budget and destination.
- Pickup and delivery
- Pick up at our Brooklyn or Queens studio by appointment, send a courier, or we ship to all 50 states.
06 / HOW IT’S MADE
From the event brief
to the trophy on stage.
4–6 weeksPainted in about 2–3 when scheduled
- 01
Send your logo or mascot, the prize list and the event date.
- 02
We send a free concept mockup, or a few ideas if you don’t have one yet.
- 03
We model the trophy in 3D and send it for approval, with the plates laid out.
- 04
We print it in resin, sand it, and paint it gold or plate it.
- 05
We engrave the plates, mount each trophy on its base, and pack them.
- 06
You pick up in Brooklyn or Queens, or we ship.
Custom 3D printed trophies · Logo trophies · Product-shaped trophies · Company mascot figures · Startup deal toys
What clients wrote to us.
Our clients rarely leave online reviews, so these are from the emails they sent us after their projects, quoted as written.
“…I am absolutely blown away by your work! I cannot thank you enough for turning my silly idea into reality”
“I know we were asking for a lot on a compressed timeline, but really appreciate you and the teams’ flexibility to get the job done and make some quality pieces. Our development team from Japan were really impressed from the quality…”
“…the winners absolutely loved their trophies! They were so happy and excited to receive them. … I truly appreciate you working with us on such a tight timeline.”
How much do custom hackathon trophies cost?
Custom trophies start at $250 each. Gold-painted resin trophies usually cost $250–$750, and metal-plated or complex pieces run $750–$2,000 or more. There’s a one-time $250 3D modeling fee for most designs, paid once however many copies you order. Prizes for every team: Large runs (around 200 pieces) start at about $80 per piece for a 6-inch painted figure, our lowest price. Size, detail and finish change the price; smaller runs cost more per piece.
What are good hackathon prize ideas besides gift cards?
A custom trophy for the winners, shaped like your logo, mascot or product, and a smaller matching figure for every team. Builders like trophies that look like what they build: keycaps, robots, rockets, circuit boards or a golden rubber duck.
How fast can you make hackathon trophies?
Standard turnaround is 4–6 weeks, and 6–8 weeks for metal-plated pieces. Rush in 1–2 weeks is possible for many trophies, depending on complexity, budget and destination. Send your event date with the request.
Can you make a small prize for every participant?
Yes. We made 150 mini gold mascot figures, about 4 inches tall, for a software company’s developer hackathon. The 3D model is made once, then every copy is printed and painted.
Can you make acrylic hackathon awards?
Yes. We laser-cut acrylic awards in the shape you want and print your logo in color or engrave it, in our own studio. Many hackathons pair one sculpted grand-prize trophy with acrylic awards for every track.
Do you make pitch competition and demo day awards?
Yes. They’re made the same way: an idea from your brand or the event, sculpted in 3D, finished in gold or your colors, with the winner engraved on the base.
Should we choose gold paint or metal plating?
Gold paint costs less and is quicker, which suits most hackathons. Metal plating is a real metal layer over the printed resin: shinier and heavier-looking, but it isn’t solid metal and it takes 6–8 weeks after the model is approved.
Can the trophy sit on a marble base?
Yes. A real marble base is about 2 inches tall and takes a top up to 8 inches, so the trophy stands about 10 inches overall. A pre-made 4-inch wood base is the other option, with more room for plates.
Can we pick up the trophies in NYC?
Yes, at our Brooklyn or Queens studio by appointment, or send a courier. We also ship to all 50 states.
08 / START WITH THE EVENT
What should your
hackathon trophy be?
Send your logo or mascot, the prize list (grand prize, categories, a prize for every team) and the event date. We’ll write back with a free mockup and a price.
What to send
- Your logo, mascot or a sketch
- The prize list and how many of each
- Team or category names for the plates
- Your event date, and pickup or ZIP