What is a Custom Award?
A Custom Award is a predefined recognition that can be:
Sent multiple times to different users
Customized with set point values and messages
Limited to specific senders (admins or managers)
Tip: Custom Awards are great for use cases like monthly MVPs, spot bonuses, or backdated recognition. Here are some other ideas for using Custom Awards!
Where do I manage Custom Awards?
Go to Workspace Settings > Awards > Custom Awards
Awards Page Overview
Awards List: Displays all Custom Awards your company has created (active and inactive).
Create Custom Award: Use this button to make a new award from scratch.
Manage Awards (⋯): Click the three dots next to any award to:
Edit the award
Duplicate (creates a copy with the same settings)
Delete the award
Note: Duplicating an award does not affect previously sent versions.
Tip: We recommend deactivating awards rather than deleting them if they have ever been used. Our system will not be able to properly audit where those points came from if the award has been deleted and this might affect your reports and analytics.
How do I create a Custom Award?
Creating a Custom Award is broken into three sections:
1. Basic Information
Award Name
Point Amount
Point Type:
Choose from:
General Points
Swag Points (learn more about swag-specific points)
Fixed Point Amount:
Turned on = The point amount can’t be adjusted when sending the custom award.
Turned off = Senders can change the point amount when sending the custom award.
Post Message: This message appears on the Home Feed when the award is sent.
Post Preview
Optional settings:
Add an image
Set the award to private (hides it from other users but will remain visible to Company Admins, the sender, and the receiver)
Example: administrators can enable customization options for recipient-specific details, such as names and award dates, which are particularly useful for recurring awards like "Employee of the Quarter." Another practical example is setting up high-value awards like 'Employee of the Month' with low frequency to recognize exceptional achievements, while assigning lower-value awards for everyday contributions to maintain morale.
2. Who Can Give This Award
Choose who has permission to send this award:
Admins: All users with admin rights can send the award. Restrict awards to "Admins Only" to maintain tighter control and avoid unauthorized use.
Managers: You must add each eligible manager by username or select Add All Managers to give full access to anyone with a Manager role in your account Managers must adhere to limits set by the admin, which include the number of points per award and the total budget allowed for distribution over a specified time period.
Note: If someone is not assigned as a sender, they will not see the award on their dashboard.
Budgets:
Award Budget Period: How often would you like the budget to reset (it does not matter what this is set to if you are setting an unlimited budget)
Unlimited Award Budget: Approved senders can send this award as often and as many times as they wish
Limited Award Budget: Set the amount of times this award can be sent in the designate Award Budget Period
Administrators are encouraged to calculate projected costs based on the distribution frequency and the number of recipients to ensure compliance with financial limits. Balancing recognition and budget effectively helps administrators in recognizing employees meaningfully without exceeding organizational constraints.
Tip: Limited Award Budget is recommend in order to prevent overspending your employee recognition budget. Especially in cases where you are giving multiple people approval to send the award.
3. Award Activation
At the bottom of the page, choose whether the award should be active or stay inactive until you're ready to launch it then hit Save.
Note: Inactive awards will not be visible to senders, even if they have been listed above to have access.
What happens after I create the award?
Once active, eligible senders (admins or designated managers) will be able to select and send the award from the Awards tab on the Home screen.
Check out our article on how to send a Custom Award.