Tustin Awards

Specializing in Corporate Awards and Promotional Products Since 1978

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(877) 589-9989

custom trophies

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Art Glass Custom Trophies

Looking to take your custom trophies to the next level? If so, then you should consider one of our favorite materials for custom trophies which is art glass! At Tustin Awards, we offer an extensive line of art glass awards shown here which are readily available and can be personalized with your sentiments in 2-3 weeks.


Nella Webster O’Grady with her award for Outstanding Philanthropist for National Philanthropy Day. Photograph by Emily J. Davis as featured in Orange Coast Magazine

Or, if you are looking for totally custom art glass award, we often partner with local glass artisans to design one-of-a-kind awards your recipients will treasure for years to come! We also collaborate with clients who bring in commissioned art glass pieces and turn them into stunning awards. For example, in the photo above, we crafted an elegant ebony finish solid wood base and engraved metal plate for our customer’s custom art glass heart.

After 40+ years in the awards and recognition industry, we have become experts in designing and personalizing art glass custom trophies. Whether you are new to ordering awards or a seasoned recognition professional yourself, here are a few things to consider when using art glass for your next award:

Things to Know Before Ordering Art Glass Custom Trophies

No Two Are Alike

Art glass awards are a popular choice for their vibrant colors and individuality. Unlike most other recognition options, each art glass award is handmade and completely unique.

Given the inherent custom nature of art glass, it is common for custom trophies made from this material to have variations. Slight differences in height, color shades/placement, the appearance of bubbles inside the glass (some of which even appear on the surface), and shape are all characteristic of art glass awards and should not be considered defects.

Less Text is Best

Think “short and sweet” when creating the verbiage for your art glass custom trophies. Some art glass awards like our Blue Teardrop include a base for personalization. However, the engraving area on most of these bases is generally smaller than other award styles. Depending on the base style and engraving method, you might only have room for your logo, award title, recipient name, and year. By contrast, other art glass pieces have space for us to engrave directly into the art glass itself which looks gorgeous! However, these pieces often have subtle designs within the glass which makes small text difficult to read. Although have the option to add a color fill such as gold or silver to your engraving to improve legibility, we still recommend keeping your text brief.

Most importantly, engraving too much text on an art glass award detracts from the beauty of the piece. If you absolutely must include a lot of verbiage on your award but still desire a pop of color, let us help you find custom trophies which allow you to include both.

Exact Color Matching is Not Possible

If your marketing department walks around with a Pantone book in their back pocket to check for color consistency, then you might want to avoid art glass awards. We absolutely, positively guarantee that your art glass awards will not match your branding standards. But we can promise that art glass custom trophies will excite any recipient!


Designed in collaboration with a local glass artisan, these art glass pieces were etched on-site and include a silver color fill for heightened beauty and legibility.

Why Use Art Glass for Custom Trophies?

Art glass pieces are a fantastic choice for the person who has won a lot of awards already. The brilliant hues of art glass awards set them apart from a sea of more traditional desk awards and wall plaques ensuring your award will be proudly displayed in their home or office.

Additionally, art glass is especially popular among organizations that pursue creativity and innovation. And clients who have ordered art glass awards have come from Fortune 500 companies, premier academic institutions, and nationally known non-profits. With over 40 years of expertise in the awards and promotional product industry, we hope you will allow Tustin Awards to create the art glass custom trophies of your dreams!

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How to Order Custom Trophies Online

Want to know our biggest tip to order custom trophies online?

Buy your awards from a company with a proven track record of excellent customer service and quality.

Since 1978, Tustin Awards has combined industry leading expertise and family business values. Whether large or small, we treat every order with the utmost care and professionalism. We have over 40 years of experience to provide you with incredible custom awards, gifts, lapel pins, promotional products and more to recognize the special people in your life. Visit our online storefront here to shop for your custom trophies online!

custom trophies online

Choose a company that pays attention to the details.

Whether purchasing your custom trophies online, in-person, or via email, you want to order from a company who will pay attention to every detail. As Jake Hill, the owner of Tustin Awards always says, “With engraving, you are either 100% right or 100% wrong.” If we find a word that is misspelled or notice that important information is missing such as the year or recipient name, we will take the time to call or email you to make sure your order is perfect.

Work with industry experts.

When you work with Tustin Awards, every single order is handled by a seasoned engraving professional. Few companies offer on-site laser engraving, full color digital printing, and sand etching, but when you order your custom trophies online with Tustin Awards, that is exactly what you will receive.

Support your local businesses.

At Tustin Awards, we offer USA made glass awards, acrylic awards, cast bronze plaques, challenge coins, medallions and more to support local industries. We also give back to local schools and non-profit organizations. When you shop at Tustin Awards, you invest in your community. And if you have the time, we recommend visiting our showroom conveniently located in Tustin so you can view our awards in-person.

custom trophies online

Find a company that will pick up the phone.

Have you tried calling Amazon lately? How did that work out for you? That’s what we thought… You would be surprised how many people call us with last minute changes. What if you need to add a last-minute award or catch a typo on your plaque? Most online companies do not have the flexibility or staff to accommodate these kinds of changes. At Tustin Awards, a knowledgeable customer service professional will answer every phone call to make sure you are taken care of.

Expect “above and beyond” service.

When you order your custom trophies online with Tustin Awards, will do everything possible to make sure you receive an award you will be proud to present.

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How to Order a Custom Trophy

At Tustin Awards, even after 40+ years in business, we still get excited when someone chooses us to create a custom trophy.

From designing crystal showstoppers for elite corporate events to turning taxidermy farm animals into office gag gifts, we have seen and done a lot. Oh, the stories we could tell…. That said, we are genuinely honored and inspired each time a customer calls us for their awards, gifts, and promotional products.

Custom awards require a collaborative approach. Some clients walk in with a clear vision; they have vector drawings, Pantone colors, fonts and materials picked out, and they ask us to execute their meticulously crafted plan. But even when clients have every detail chosen, often design modifications need to be made to ensure readability, overcome manufacturing challenges, meet deadlines, etc. Alternatively, some clients call us knowing they want a custom trophy or plaque, but need help seeing what is possible or coming up with ideas to present to decision-makers. And others run into our showroom with their hair on fire and need something fabulous in a few hours.

custom trophy

Whether big or small, we approach each custom trophy with creativity, and we always keep our customer’s best interest in mind.

In serving you, we always ask ourselves questions like: Which options will maximize your budget? Where can we save time to ensure we meet your deadline? How can we make your award unforgettable?

Why Create A Custom Trophy?

  • One-of-a-Kind
  • Always “On Brand”
  • People Need Recognition

One-of-a-Kind – Extraordinary achievements merit extraordinary awards. Ordering a custom trophy will make a statement about the impact a person has on your organization and your appreciation for them. With our endless customization capabilities, we can design your award to include engraving, sand carving, full color printing, and 3-D subsurface etching. We can also incorporate materials such as crystal, glass, acrylic, bronze, stainless steel, and more!

Always “On Brand” – Although “stock” awards come in a variety of colors, materials, shapes, and sizes, few awards perfectly align with specific corporate branding standards. However, when you order a custom trophy or plaque, you can tailor every award detail to match your marketing guidelines. For added flair, we can incorporate event themes into the award and promotional product design as well. See our Custom Awards page for some of our customization options.

People Need Recognition – Now more than ever, a simple thank you means more than we imagine. Whether working in an office, medical setting, classroom, or even remotely, employees deserve recognition for their continued dedication and sacrifice. A custom trophy tells employees that their exceptional efforts are deeply valued. To read more about the heightened importance of employee recognition, click here!

As companies transition to virtual presentations and alternatives to traditional awards ceremonies, we are responding with innovation and creativity to the changing needs of our clients.

To meet the needs of our customers, we have expanded our services to include drop-shipping to individual customers, providing printed cards for a personal touch, and much more! Despite these changes, we remain resolute in our commitment to quality, customer service, creativity, and value.

And for clients looking to save time and money, we have thousands of “stock” awards, trophies, and plaques to choose from. With on-site engraving, sand etching, and full color printing, we can turn a standard award into a masterpiece. The Shop Awards page is a great place to start to see our standard award styles. And feel free to call or email us for more options of standard award shapes which can be customized!

The excitement we feel in creating something no one has ever seen before is only surpassed by the joy we receive in knowing our customers absolutely love the awards we create for them.

Have questions about ordering custom awards and plaques? For more information about minimum order quantities, personalization options, materials, and minimum order quantities, check out our Custom Awards page for these details and more.

Call Tustin Awards for the custom trophy of your dreams!

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How Tustin Awards Came to Be

I’m Jake Hill, and my wife Mary and I own Tustin Awards. Let me tell you the story of how it all began…

So, where do we start? Do we go all the way back to the mid 1950’s or do we start when my parents (Carl and Ardelle) bought a tiny trophy shop in 1978? Yes, Tustin Awards was originally started in 1955 and located in Santa Ana. Eventually, one of the subsequent owners moved it to a small storefront on the corner of Newport Ave. and Irvine Blvd. in Tustin. And that is where it was when our family joined the ranks of engravers! 

After two moves and a name change from Tustin Trophy and Engraving to Tustin Awards, we landed at our current location on Bell Ave. in Tustin. I’ve been asked many times what my first job was at Tustin Awards and my answer is always the same: taking out the trash (facts are facts). 

tustin awards shop local

Eventually, my parents taught my wife Mary and I how to engrave and assemble plaques and trophies. Eight years later in 1993, Mary and I bought the business from my parents and moved it to the Bell Ave. address. At that point, we had already branched out into the Ad Specialty market, and later expanded our capabilities with in-house digital printing.

Tustin Awards was fast becoming one of the largest awards dealers in Orange County and the United States, and we continued to grow until the great recession in 2008. After a couple of years, we started to grow once again. We have been fortunate to serve thousands of satisfied clients and customers, and we continue to expand our line with new products and services.

Since the COVID- 19 virus invaded our shores, Tustin Awards has pivoted by adding PPE products and we now ship more of our awards to recipients’ homes. Despite the new challenges we face, our production time remains unchanged, and we can still process rush orders in one or two days.

Since day one, Tustin Awards has engraved and assembled all awards in-house. This allows us to have strict quality control standards and remain at the top of our industry. Our client base comes from all across the United States and Canada, and over 85% of Tustin Awards sales are from repeat customers.

tustin awards shop local

We have met some wonderful people along the way, and we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to recognize the true champions and heroes among us.

We never take for granted the trust our clients have in us, and we constantly strive to be better each day. It is this deeply held value which has inspired us to place multiple signs on the walls of Tustin Awards engraved with our motto:

“We are here to serve people and solve problems. That’s what we do.”

On behalf of the entire Tustin Awards staff, we look forward to serving you.

Thank you,

Jake Hill

President

Tustin Awards, Inc.