Use a unique award to highlight the type of work ethic you want from your team. Sometimes gag awards are given for the mistakes that take place, but a gag award can also be used to motivate your crew.

A few examples:

• Man of the Hour Award—army man hot-glued to a 2”x4” wood base.
• Crushed Can of Honor—tie a rope around a soda can, then crush the can to give it that medallion look.
• Golden Pig Award—look for odd ceramic statues at a dollar store. (We found a golden pig.) It can stand for whatever you choose.
• Spark Plug Award—glue a spark plug to a board and give the award to the person who really ignites the team.
• Give ‘em a Hand Award—copy your hand on the copier and laminate the result.
• Plunge-in Award—buy a new plunger (at the dollar store, of course) and use a sharpie to “engrave” it. Give this to the person who always volunteers for the dirty jobs.