Swim Meet Awards: How to Do Them?

Last updated on September 5th, 2023 at 11:20 am

Awards are customary, but not required at swim meets.  Some meet don’t give them.  This is especially true at smaller or ‘last chance’ type meets. In this case, swimmers leave with ‘times only.“  However, many meet hosts choose to give awards to recognize swimmer achievements.  Many swimmers love to receive them and work hard to earn them. If doing them at your swim meet, here are some ideas to help you carefully plan what will be given, to whom and how. Careful planning and prep helps make sure the right award goes to the right swimmer.  It also helps to prevent volunteer burn-out.

Determine What to Give

What factors influence what to give?  There are many, including the following.

Governing Body Rules

Does the governing body have any rules about awards? Find out and follow them. Also, be aware that the cost, or value, of any prize may affect high school or college eligibility.

Expense

What is the meet budget for awards? They can be expensive. Let the budget govern what is given.

Swimmer Development

Some long-time coaches recommend to start small. Why?

1. There is a limit to how much swim meet awards increase in size and value over the swimmer’s career. For example, you can’t award a car to a 16-year-old. If the swimmer’s incentive is primarily based on the size of award received, it will vanish when awards stop getting bigger.
2. To help kids learn to value the intrinsic rewards that come from swimming — not just external awards and accolades.

Who Will Receive Swim Meet Awards?

There are many groups to whom awards could go. Some are below. No one meet can (or should) do all these types of awards. Many swim meets already have an award tradition. If so, it would be unwise to dramatically change it without permission from the meet host. If not, consider the following and pick what works best to advance your goals for the meet.

All Participants

• Participation gifts, or awards, are given to each participant in the swim meet
• Examples: Swim cap, water bottle, ribbon
• Typical Distribution
  • Each team is given all participation awards for those from their team entered in the meet.  Coaches distribute them to team members.
  • Each swimmer picks up participation award at a table. Volunteers manning the table cross the swimmer’s name off a list.

Heat Winners

• Heat Winner awards are given to the fastest swimmer in each heat
• Examples:  Piece of candy, coupon, ribbon
• Typical Distribution:  Unlabeled award handed to swimmer immediately following each heat
  • Note: Requires an extra volunteer to stay poolside and give award at the end of every heat.

Event Winners

• Event winners for top [however many] finishers in each event. This is a very common way of giving awards.
• Examples: Medal, ribbon, small squirt gun, etc.
• Typical Distribution: Someone puts a computer-generated label on each award. Labels typically include the name and team of the winner, meet and event name and swimmer time. Next, someone groups the awards by team. It works well to put awards for the same team into a sack or box. The coach then picks up all awards for their team members at the end of the meet. Later, the coach, or someone else distributes them to the swimmers.

Good Sports

• Some swim meets offer a team, or other type of, sportsmanship award
• Examples: Trophy, gift card for a pizza (or other type) of team party
• Typical Distribution: Given at a ceremony (often informal) at, or immediately following, the meet

Developing Swimmers

• A Time Standard Achievement award is one way to recognize developing swimmers. These are for those who make a specified time standard for the first time in an event. One type of time standard is the USA Swimming Age Group Motivational Times. Before offering this type of award, consider how to easily calculate it for each swimmer. Some meet management software can do this, if you have someone who knows how to use it.
• Examples: Ribbon, certificate
• Typical Distribution:  Similar to Event Winner Awards (above)

High-Point Awards

When awarding points for various places, the meet host can offer high-point awards by adding up the total points received by each swimmer and/or team.

Individual High-Point

• The top [however many] swimmers in each designated age-group
• Examples: Trophy, custom embroidered towel, gift card (Keep in mind governing body restrictions)
• Typical Distribution: Given at a ceremony (often informal) at, or immediately following, the meet

Overall High-Point

• Goes to the single competitor who received the most points at the meet regardless of age and sometimes, gender
• Examples: Trophy, custom embroidered towel, gift card (Keep in mind governing body restrictions)
• Typical Distribution: Given at a ceremony (often informal) at, or immediately following, the meet

Team High Point

• For top [however many] teams with the most points
• Examples: Trophy, gift card for a pizza (or other type) of party
• Typical Distribution: Given at a ceremony (often informal) at, or immediately following, the meet

How to Do It: Tips From the Pros

The ways to prepare, process and distribute awards are as varied as the teams who host meets. However, those who have done it often have tips to share.  Here are some.  If you have others, please add them in the “Comments” section at the end of the post.

Order Early

A minimum of six weeks is usually required between the placing of the order to actual delivery for custom awards.  Generic awards (no meet or team name) sometimes ship quicker and cost less.

How Many to Order?

Meet management software can quickly produce an award count list. Consider ordering extra to allow for ties or errors.

Make the Distribution Process Known

Use the meet announcement, and/or another form of pre-meet communication to communicate the distribution process. Also, giving the announcer a written announcement about the award distribution allows him/her to get correct information out at the meet. Look at including the following:

• When and where should coaches pick up awards?
• Will there be an award ceremony?
  •  If so, how and when? (For example: in between events, at the end of the meet)
• What happens if someone forgets to pick up their awards?

Get Enough Help

It’s simplest for the meet host, and cheapest, to distribute awards to coaches right after the meet concludes. Coaches can get them back to the team and then pass them out. To have the awards ready in a timely manner, the meet administration needs to process results well.  Additional needs include: a good system to sort and label awards and enough people to do it. One experienced awards manager who often works state championship prelims/finals meets recommends having one other person help process awards during the morning sessions. During these sessions, they process awards earned the day before.  During the finals session on the last night, she gets four people to help so awards are ready shortly after the meet concludes.

Quiet Area

When it comes to labeling and sorting awards, a quiet area, away from the meet is preferred by many.  Some, however, like to watch the meet and prefer being closer.  Be aware, that the labeling and sorting process requires time, attention and focus. Mistakes are difficult to fix if not caught early.

Zip Medal Baggies

When asked to share tips on the best ways to process swim meet awards, one swim mom said, “Zip the medal baggies first!” She often sits during the first session of the meet, before any award sorting or processing begins, and simply zips the baggies medals come in.  Later, someone puts the award label on the zipped bag with the medal inside.

Let the Software Do The Sorting

The meet management software often has options for printing award labels.  If the computer operator prints labels as the meet progresses, they will likely be sorted by event. This means the labels print out grouped by event. However, other sort options are often available such as: “team/event,” “team/athlete” and “athlete.” If you think one of these formats would work better for a particular meet, tell the meet director and computer operator early on.

Meet Management Software Label Options

Some meet management software give options to print different award labels. Check your software before deciding who will get awards. You may easily be able to do awards another way which might better promote meet goals. Examples include:

• Standard Award Label (Top finishers in each event and/or high point)
• Time Standard Achievement,
• Personal Best
• By Heat
• Exhibition Swims
• Participation (May choose an excluded place range)
• Record Breaker

Brown Paper Grocery Sacks

One inexpensive way to sort awards by team is to get a brown paper grocery sack for each team. Next, write a team names on each sack.  Set open bags on a table, or other level surface. Put labeled award for a member of that team, into the team sack. When all awards are processed, give team sack to coach.

Remember the Multiplier Effect

When developing a plan, remember that a large meet with many teams, events and athletes will need adequate space to process awards. Consider how much room one open sack per team will take. Volunteers also need space to store and set-out unlabeled awards near the open sacks.  Think of how many people will be working in the area.  Is there enough space for them to work together comfortably?

Use a Tracking Sheet

In the fast-paced and sometimes confusing swim meet environment it’s easy to make mistakes. For example, a computer operator can forget to print a set of labels for an event. Or, a page of labels can be misplaced by those doing the labeling. A tracking sheet can help make sure all events are processed correctly by both the meet administration and the award people. Click below for one example of an Award Tracking Sheet. It has information from a previous meet inserted to show how the tracker works. Blank forms are also included that you can customize for your specific needs. Click on the form title for more information.

NOTE: Newer versions of Meet Manager also allow the computer operator to mark when labels have been printed for an event.

Closing Thought

There are many ways to do awards. If more information is needed, try asking around your local area. Is there someone on your team who has managed awards before? What about on another team? Many are willing to share ideas, even if they are not able to help in other ways. Think about what needs to be done, then ask questions. After your meet, consider what went well and what you would change next time.  Then, record your ideas and pass them on to your team to share with future volunteers. Please send them to HostGreatMeets.com too. Doing so shares them with an even wider circle of people. These people, like you, help keep competitive swimming opportunities available to kids, and others, by volunteering.  Thank you!

Preparing for a swim meet? Check out The Ultimate Swim Meet To-Do List. Then, get a bird’s eye view of Who does What at Swim Meets. Both include easy-to-follow links to related information. Doing a smaller, simpler meet? Host a High School or Developmental Swim Meet will help.

Need more help? See 20+ Ways to Get Swim Meet Timers and Officials: 20+ Ways to Get them for Swim Meets. 

Also, discover a few things you can do to Increase Safety at Swim Meets. Find ideas to implement before your meet as well as last-minute quick and easy tips!