Cheer Award Ideas for the End-of-Season Banquet

A cheer squad is harder to write awards for than most teams, because so much of what makes it work is invisible from the stands. The base who never lets a stunt wobble, the backspot who talks the group through every count, the athlete who learned a new position in a week: none of them show up on a scoreboard.

This list is built to reach those people. It has more than fifty awards, each with a one-line reason, grouped by what the award recognizes. Take the handful that fit your squad, rename them in your own words, and give each one for something the whole team would agree is true.

Tumbling and jumps

• Tumbling Standout: the most reliable tumbling on the squad, pass after pass.
• Sky-High Jumps Award: the best height and form in jumps all season.
• Sharpest Toe Touch: the toe touch everyone else measures theirs against.
• Handspring Breakthrough: for the athlete who landed a new tumbling skill this year.
• Power Pass Award: the running pass that closes the routine with authority.
• Stuck Landing Award: clean, controlled landings every time.
• Fearless Tumbler: for working through a mental block and coming out the other side.
• Standing Tumbling Award: the strongest standing skills, no run-up needed.

Stunting

Stunt awards are best given by role, so the athletes on the ground are recognized as fully as the one in the air.

• Rock-Solid Base Award: the base whose stunts simply do not move.
• Fearless Flyer Award: for the flyer who goes up with complete commitment.
• Backspot of the Year: the voice and the safety net of the stunt group.
• Steady Hands Award: the catch that is always there.
• Stunt Group of the Year: the group that hit most often, awarded to all of its members.
• Pyramid Anchor Award: the athlete the whole pyramid is built around.
• Stunt Technician Award: for the cleanest grips, timing and dismounts.
• Trust Award: for the athlete every group wants to stunt with.

Dance, motions and voice

• Sharpest Motions Award: every motion placed and hit on the count.
• Dance Standout: the strongest dancer in the routine.
• Big Voice Award: heard from the top row, every game.
• Sideline Spark Award: for keeping the energy up from kickoff to the final whistle.
• Showmanship Award: for performing every routine as if the judges were watching.
• Count Keeper Award: never early, never late, always on the count.
• Crowd Leader Award: for getting the student section on its feet.
• Sign and Pom Award: the cleanest work with signs and poms.

Leadership and character

• Squad Glue Award: the athlete who holds the group together.
• Quiet Leader Award: leads by doing, without needing the title.
• Positive Attitude Award: the same good energy at the first practice and the last.
• Most Dependable: always there, always ready.
• Unity Award: for bringing new and returning athletes together.
• Encourager Award: the first to pick a teammate up after a missed skill.
• Program Ambassador: represents the squad well at school and in the community.
• Coachable Athlete Award: takes a correction once and applies it.
• Team First Award: for the athlete who took the spot the squad needed, not the one they wanted.

Improvement and effort

• Most Improved: the greatest gain in skill from tryouts to the final performance.
• First-Year Standout: the strongest season by an athlete new to the squad.
• New Skill Award: for adding the most skills in one season.
• Most Dedicated: the extra reps, the open gyms, the stretching at home.
• Perfect Attendance Award: never missed a practice or a game.
• Conditioning Champion: set the pace in every workout.
• Versatility Award: can base, backspot or fly, and did all three.
• Second Wind Award: returned from an injury or time away and earned the spot again.

Fun awards that stay kind

One or two light awards lift a banquet. The test is simple: the winner should be happy to read theirs out to a grandparent. Nothing about appearance, nothing about mistakes.

• Best Bow Game: never the same bow twice.
• Pep Rally Legend: for the performance the school is still talking about.
• Bus Ride DJ: in charge of the playlist, by popular vote.
• Human Megaphone: no equipment required.
• Glitter Award: for leaving a trail of it everywhere the squad has been.
• Sign Maker of the Year: for the best run-through banners and locker signs.
• Always Has a Spare Award: hair ties, tape, safety pins; always one to hand.
• Game Face Award: the most focused pre-performance look on the mat.
• Team Photographer: the reason the slideshow exists.
• Spirit Stick Keeper: guards it like it matters, because it does.

For more in this spirit, see 100 funny award ideas.

A core set, and how many to give

Most squads give far fewer than fifty awards. A core set of six to eight, plus one or two fun awards, keeps each one meaningful.

Give every award for a reason you can say aloud in one sentence. For the general categories every team uses, see sports award categories and names; for something every athlete receives, see participation awards.

Sideline squads, competition squads and age groups

• Sideline squads lean toward voice, crowd-leading and spirit awards, because game days are the season.
• Competition squads lean toward stunt, tumbling and execution awards, and often add one award per stunt group.
• Youth squads do best with a piece for every athlete and a few effort and attitude awards. Skill rankings can wait.
• High school squads usually add captain recognition and senior awards. See senior night gift ideas.

Do not forget the coach and the parents who ran the season; coach gift ideas covers both.

Wording and ordering the awards

Keep the wording to the award name, the athlete’s name, the squad and the season. The reason is for the coach to say when it is handed over.

Backspot of the Year
Taylor Nguyen
Lakeside High Cheer
2026–27 Season

We design cheer awards around the squad’s own logo and colors, as custom-shaped acrylic pieces, plaques or medallions, with a design proof before anything is produced. Cheer trophies shows the forms they take, including competition placings, and sports banquet ideas covers planning the evening itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What awards do you give at a cheer banquet?

Most squads give a most valuable cheerleader award, most improved, awards by stunt role for a base, a flyer and a backspot, a tumbling award, a leadership or character award and a coaches’ pick, plus one or two fun awards.

How many awards should a cheer squad give?

Six to eight earned awards and one or two fun ones is typical. Giving fewer keeps each award meaningful; a piece for every athlete can be handled separately as a team keepsake.

Should every cheerleader get an award?

On youth squads, a matching piece for every athlete is common, with a small number of extra awards for effort and attitude. On older squads, a team keepsake for everyone plus earned individual awards works well.

What are good fun cheer awards?

Awards about habits the whole squad recognizes, such as the best bow collection, the bus playlist or the athlete who always has a spare hair tie. Avoid anything about appearance or mistakes.

What goes on a cheer award?

The award name, the athlete’s name, the squad name and the season. Keep the reason for the presentation rather than the award.