Office Christmas Party Awards Ideas: 30 Fun Categories

You’ve been asked to do the awards at the Christmas party, and you need category names that won’t backfire. These office Christmas party awards ideas mix funny and genuine awards, all about shared moments rather than personal traits. Aim for every person to have a realistic chance of winning something.

Below are 30 award ideas, split by type, followed by what to avoid and how to run the ceremony so it lands.

Funny office Christmas party awards ideas

The best funny awards tease a habit everyone shares, not a flaw one person has. Here are ten you can adapt with your own office in-jokes.

• The Fire Extinguisher: for whoever calmly puts out the daily emergencies.
• Thinks in Emoji: for the colleague whose messages are mostly reactions.
• Coffee Pot: for the person who always makes the next round.
• Office DJ: for whoever controls the playlist and the mood.
• Reply-All Champion: for the most enthusiastic use of the whole-company thread.
• The Human Calendar: for knowing everyone’s holiday dates better than the system.
• Meeting Survivor: for the most back-to-back calls with the best composure.
• Snack Scout: for always knowing where the biscuits are.
• The Last Light: for the person who reliably switches off the office at the end of the day.
• Mr or Ms “Quick Question”: for the shortest question that needed the longest answer.

Genuine recognition awards

Genuine awards matter because the funny ones only work when people also see that real effort gets noticed. Mix in ten like these.

• Above and Beyond: for going further than the job description asked.
• Team Player: for making everyone else’s work easier.
• Newcomer of the Year: for the best start by someone who joined this year.
• Innovation Award: for a new idea that stuck.
• Customer Champion: for the best feedback from clients or colleagues.
• Culture Champion: for keeping the team’s spirit up.
• Problem Solver: for fixing something nobody else wanted to touch.
• Mentor of the Year: for helping others learn the ropes.
• Unsung Hero: for steady work that rarely gets thanked.
• Long Service: for staying the course. Say the years out loud.

Team and department awards

Team awards spread recognition around, which helps in offices where some departments are less visible. Try these five.

• Best Team Effort: for a project that took everyone.
• Quietly Brilliant Behind the Scenes: for the team whose work only gets noticed when it breaks.
• Best Cross-Team Collaboration: for two or more departments who made it work.
• Fastest Turnaround: for the quickest delivery on a tricky deadline.
• Best Team Spirit: for the team that celebrates each other the loudest.

Awards for hybrid and remote colleagues

If part of your team works from home, include them or the awards will feel like an in-office club. These five are easy to give by email, video call or a short recorded message.

• Best Video Call Background: voted by the team, with bonus points for the bookshelf.
• Best Async Communicator: for updates so clear nobody needed a meeting.
• Most Reliable Remote Colleague: for always being there when needed.
• Camera-Ready Pet: for the most memorable guest appearance on a call.
• Hybrid Hero: for making in-office and remote colleagues feel equally part of things.

Send remote winners their prize in advance, or ask them to join the segment live, so they aren’t left watching the ceremony from the edge.

Light-hearted awards to avoid

If an award relies on one person being embarrassed, skip it. Anything about appearance, age, relationships, health, pay or someone’s background can land badly, even if the person laughs along on the night. Jokes at work that target protected characteristics can also cause real problems; ACAS has guidance on harassment at work if you want to check where the line sits.

Swap each risky idea for a shared-habit version:

• Instead of “Most likely to be late”, try The Fire Extinguisher for last-minute heroics.
• Instead of “Best dressed”, try Best Christmas Jumper, voted for on the night.
• Instead of anything about a recent breakup or hangover, try Office DJ, which celebrates something people did on purpose.

A quick test: would the winner be happy to be photographed holding the trophy? If not, change the award.

How to run the awards ceremony

A good ceremony is short, prepared and hosted, not someone reading names from a phone. These steps are our guidance from running hosted corporate events.

Pick categories and nominations in advance

Send a short form two to three weeks before the party. Ask for the nominee, the category and one line on why. Have two or three people review the nominations and make the final call, and tell everyone how winners are chosen. That keeps the process fair and stops it feeling like a popularity vote.

Choose a host

The host decides whether the awards drag or fly. Pick someone confident, warm and quick on their feet, and brief them on each winner so every announcement has a line of substance. If nobody on the team fancies it, bring in outside help: professional hosts are included with our corporate events.

Keep it short

Our guidance is 15 to 20 minutes at most. Beyond that, people drift to the bar and the later awards fall flat. Run the smaller awards quickly and save the genuine ones, like Above and Beyond, for the end while the room is still listening.

Trophies, certificates and prizes

You don’t need to spend much. Printed certificates, a funny trophy that gets passed on each year, a small gift or an extra half-day off all work. Make the prize match the tone of the award, silly for the funny ones and thoughtful for the genuine ones.

Make sure everyone is included

Before the night, check your list of winners against your headcount, including new starters, part-timers and remote staff. If someone has no mention anywhere, add a team award that covers them honestly. Also think about non-drinkers: don’t tie awards to drinking jokes, and make sure the ceremony isn’t scheduled so late that only the loudest voices are left.

Make awards part of the entertainment

Awards work best as one segment inside a hosted evening, not the whole of it. A game show or quiz slot just before or after the presentations gives the room something to cheer for, and the host can tie the two together. Our game shows and quizzes include Taskmaster-style challenges, Cube challenges, quizzes and bingo, with company-themed customisation and setup included.

If you’re still shaping the rest of the night, our guides to office Christmas party games, work Christmas party themes and corporate Christmas party ideas cover the options. For the full timeline, see how to plan a work Christmas party.

“We hired Gold Tier Events for our Christmas party, and it was a huge success! The Gold Tier team were incredibly professional, handling everything seamlessly. Our members had an amazing time and absolutely loved the entertainment.” — Fatima Mnasri, Community Manager, SpaceMade

FAQs

What are some categories for team awards?

Good team award categories include Best Team Effort, Quietly Brilliant Behind the Scenes, Best Cross-Team Collaboration, Fastest Turnaround and Best Team Spirit. Pick categories that name a shared moment from the year, so the award feels earned rather than random. The team section above has more examples you can adapt.

What awards can be given to employees?

Mix genuine recognition with light-hearted fun. Genuine awards include Above and Beyond, Newcomer of the Year, Team Player and Customer Champion. Funny ones, like Coffee Pot or Reply-All Champion, poke fun at shared office habits rather than at individuals. A blend of both keeps the ceremony warm and entertaining.

What are some cool ideas for an office Christmas party?

Hosted entertainment tends to work best: a game show, a quiz, a themed evening or interactive games, with the awards as one short segment inside the night. Our guides to corporate Christmas party ideas and work Christmas party themes cover the options in detail.

How many awards should you give?

Aim for around eight to fifteen awards. Fewer feels thin, and more drags the slot past its time. For a bigger group, add team or department awards rather than more individual ones, so more people are recognised without a longer ceremony.

How do you pick winners fairly?

Collect nominations through a short form a few weeks ahead, ask for a one-line reason with each, and have a small group of two or three people review them. Publish the process in advance, and keep a note of past winners so the same names don’t take every trophy.

Want the awards to sit inside a properly hosted night? Tell us about your event and we’ll put together a tailored proposal.