Plaques and Award Designs

Nonprofit homeless youth resource center My Friend’s Place hosted its 30th-anniversary gala on April 8 at the Hollywood Palladium. Actor Jack Black hosted, and honorees included Miley Cyrus, Instagram, and chef Alice Waters. Each of the six awards presented was a unique, original, sculpted piece of art handmade by one of the organization’s youth artists.

The inaugural BET Social Awards, which took place in February at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, celebrated the most memorable social media moments of 2017. Winners such as stand-up comedian Jess Hilarious (pictured) took home awards shaped like oversize hashtags.

The Tasty Awards, which were part of the annual Taste Talks Brooklyn, took place in September at the Weylin in New York. The 25 awards given out—to honor chefs, restaurants, food media, and others—resembled chef's knives.

The second annual Mac & Cheese Fest Chicago took place in 2015 at the UIC Forum. The event had two sessions; in each, 50 restaurants competed for the "Golden Noodle" award. The award was given to the macaroni and cheese dishes that were deemed to have the best taste, texture, and creativity. Judges included chefs, food critics, and bloggers.

For the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s 2017 Burger Bash, which was hosted by chef Rachael Ray, winners took home trophies topped with hamburgers.

The Women’s International Film and Television Showcase honored influential women at the International Visionary Awards ceremony in Toronto in 2011. Honorees received wing-shaped porcelain awards for their inspiring work.

At the ninth annual Embassy Chef Challenge, held in Washington, D.C. in May 2017, the People's Choice and Judges Choice winners each received a golden pineapple trophy—a symbol of hospitality.

During the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in 2015, Guy Fieri hosted an event dubbed Meatopia. Fieri presented the winning trophies—a guitar for the fan favorite and a cow-topped trophy with flame accents as the judges' choice.

At the fourth annual Chef’s Challenge: the Ultimate Battle for a Cure—which took place in Toronto in 2014 and raised money for breast and ovarian cancer research—the winning team left with a whimsical trophy decorated appropriately with cooking utensils.

The Bandwagon Roadshow, a fusion of live music and custom and vintage cars, took place in Orlando in 2010. Winners of a car competition took home trophies made with antique engine pistons.

For the American Kidney Fund’s 40th anniversary gala in Washington, D.C. in 2011, the organization presented four awards, including those for Caregiver and Nephrologist of the Year. The awards themselves took on distinct shapes designed to reflect each category.