Martial Arts Medals for Tournaments and Schools

Short answer

A martial arts tournament divides competitors by age, weight and belt rank, then again by event: forms, sparring, weapons, grappling. That produces more divisions than almost any other sport, each with its own podium, so medals carry the tournament and trophies are kept for grand champions and team titles. We make martial arts medals cut to the shape of your tournament or school logo, printed in full color and supplied with a neck ribbon. Small in-house events are welcome with no minimum order, and every design reaches you as a proof first.

Shaped, layered acrylic finisher medal for a 17K river run, with the distance in raised yellow lettering, on a blue neck ribbon

How the divisions add up

Take one age group. Split it by belt into beginner, intermediate and advanced. Split each of those by weight or height for sparring. Then run forms, sparring and weapons as separate events. One age group can produce a dozen divisions, and a full tournament runs dozens more. Grappling and jiu jitsu events add gi and no-gi, and an absolute division open to all weights.

Medals are the only practical answer. Our medallion awards come as a cast 2" round medal in gold, silver or bronze with a printed center, a cut acrylic medal in 3", 4" or 6" that can be any shape, or a steel medal with an acrylic face for the top divisions. Your school crest, a fist, a gi or a belt knot can be the outline.

The trophies are for what is won once a day: grand champion in forms and sparring, the absolute division, the team or school with the most points. We make those as custom awards in the same artwork as the medals.

Martial arts awards we make

Division medals

Gold, silver and bronze for every division in every event. Many brackets place two bronzes, one per losing semifinalist.

Grand champion

A trophy for the winner of a grand championship round between division champions, by event and age group.

Absolute division

The open-weight division at a grappling or jiu jitsu event, often a larger medal or a trophy of its own.

Team and school points

A trophy for the school whose students placed most, counted from the division results.

Black belt and promotion plaques

A plaque for a student reaching black belt or a senior rank, with the date and the instructor.

School and tournament pins

Pins for a school’s competition team, tournament staff and volunteer referees.

Counting medals by event and division

The medal count is the sum of every division’s podium. Most tournaments only know the true number once registration closes and divisions are combined or split, so plan from last year’s entries and confirm against the final brackets.

How the medal count builds at a martial arts tournament
Factor	Typical choices	Effect on the count
Events	Forms, sparring, weapons, team forms; gi and no-gi grappling	Each event repeats every division
Age groups	Youth by a few years each, teens, adults, masters	Each age group repeats every event
Rank	Beginner, intermediate, advanced and black belt	Each rank band repeats every age group
Weight or height	Usually for sparring and grappling only	Splits those events further
Places	Gold, silver and one or two bronzes	Three or four medals per division

Leave the division off the medal. A medal that reads the tournament name, the event and the year covers every division in that event, which leaves your spares useful and keeps the order manageable. Some tournaments go further and use one medal for every event, with only the placing changing.

Forms, sparring and grappling medals

If the tournament runs several events, giving each event its own medal design is a nice touch. Competitors who enter forms and sparring go home with two different medals instead of two copies of one. The difference can be small: the same outline with a different center image, or the event name in a different color.

Golden Valley Open
Sparring
1st Place
2026

Northside Grappling Championship
No-Gi
Gold
2026

Youth divisions often give every competitor a medal. If yours does, make the participant medal the same outline as the podium medals with the tournament name and year only, so it belongs to the set.

Awards for the school, not the tournament

A school or dojo gives awards outside competition too. The belt test is the main one: the rank itself is the recognition, but a plaque for reaching black belt marks years of training. Write the rank, the date and the instructor’s name, and keep it plain.

Awarded to Daniel Park
First Degree Black Belt
Presented by the instructors of Summit Martial Arts
June 2026

Schools also thank instructors, assistant instructors and the parents who run tournament tables. Volunteer awards covers those, and a perpetual trophy for student of the year keeps every winner’s name at the school. An end-of-year awards night follows the same plan as any team banquet; see end-of-season awards.

What to send us

The tournament or school logo.
The events, and a division count from last year or from registration.
How many places you award per division, and whether every youth competitor gets a medal.
Grand champion, absolute and team trophies.
The tournament date.

We design the medals and trophies together and send a proof. For timing, work back from the tournament date and read how far in advance to order. Awards for other sports are in the Recognition Library, including wrestling trophies for schools that run both.

Martial Arts Medals FAQs

How many medals does a martial arts tournament need?

Count every division in every event, then multiply by the places you award, usually three or four with two bronzes. Confirm against final brackets and add spares.

Should the belt or weight class be on the medal?

Usually not. A medal with the tournament name, event and year covers every division in that event, so spares are never stuck in one bracket.

Do you make jiu jitsu and grappling medals?

Yes, including separate designs for gi and no-gi events and a larger piece for the absolute division.

Can the medal be cut to our school logo?

Yes. Acrylic medals are cut to any outline and printed in full color, and every medal comes with a neck ribbon.

Do you make black belt plaques?

Yes. A wood or acrylic plaque with the student’s name, rank, date and instructor is a common order for schools.

Is there a minimum order?

No. A small in-house tournament or a single plaque is a normal order.

Racer in a helmet raising both arms as gold confetti falls under stage lights

DIVISIONS SET?

Send the events and division count

Send the logo, the events and the number of divisions. We design the medals and trophies as one set and send a proof for approval before production.

We ship finished medals to the school or venue anywhere in the country. Give us the tournament date and we will compare it with the current lead time.

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Martial Arts Medals