A handcrafted wooden trophy is made in six stages: selecting the lumber, reading and marking each board, milling the blanks, shaping the details, sanding, and finishing. At Trophyology, every wood award is designed by an architect and made by our artisans in our own woodshop in Austin, Texas. Here is what those stages look like for Stela Imperium, one of our most architectural designs.
People have shaped wood for as long as they have created objects. It is one of the oldest crafts known to mankind, and it still asks what it always has of the maker: skill, patience, and respect for the material.
Why we manufacture our own wood awards
Trophyology began in 2011 as a design studio working with outside fabricators. Over the years we brought the making in-house, so our own teams now select the lumber, shape it, finish it, and engrave it.
Our founder, Eva Schöne Arnold, practiced as an architect before starting Trophyology. What she loved most about architecture was seeing designs come to life, and that transformation now happens every day in our Austin woodshop.
Making our own awards means we decide the details that matter most years after the ceremony: which board is chosen, where the grain falls, how an edge meets the hand. It also lets us answer the question behind every award we make: what does this honoree's achievement deserve to look and feel like?
Stela Imperium in ebony-stained walnut, designed by an architect and made in Austin.
From Tree to Trophy: How Stela Imperium is made
Here is how Imperium travels through our woodshop, from rough walnut to the precise forms of the finished award.
1. Selecting thick walnut lumber
Nearly four inches thick, some boards still carrying bark from the tree.
Imperium begins with 16/4 walnut, nearly four inches thick. Boards this thick are rare. They come only from large, mature trees, and they need far longer to dry than thinner lumber before they're ready to work. The walnut arrives rough-sawn and heavy, some boards still carrying bark from the tree.
2. Reading and marking the board
Chalk marks the cuts. Circles mark the knots a finished award can't carry.
Our artisans read each board before the first cut, marking dimensions in chalk and circling the knots a finished piece can't carry.
3. Milling: jointing, planing, and truing the blanks
Every blank is checked with calipers before it moves on.
Then the slow work of precision begins. Boards are cut into smaller sections, then jointed and planed. Blanks are cut, checked with calipers, and trued square.
4. Routing the channels
The channels give Imperium its column-like rhythm.
Channels are routed into the form, giving the award its architectural rhythm.
5. Sanding the recesses and profiles
Trophyology artisans sanding the recesses and profiles, again and again.
Recesses and profiles are sanded again and again until the wood is remarkably smooth to the touch. Wood never makes this easy. Every board behaves a little differently, and the craft lies in knowing how to work with the wood, not against it.
6. Staining and oil finishing
A deep ebony stain, then a silky finishing oil.
Finished with a deep ebony stain and a silky finishing oil, Imperium bears no trace of the rough board it once was. What remains is a crisp object, with the care still visible and felt in every recess and edge.
From finishing, each award moves to our production team, who engrave it and add its graphics. This last step makes every Imperium specific to the person it honors.
The finished award, with no trace of the rough board it once was.
Stela Imperium at a glance
- Material: Solid walnut, milled from 16/4 lumber
- Finish: Deep ebony stain and silky finishing oil
- Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
- Made in: Trophyology Woodshop, Austin, Texas, USA
Explore the Stela Collection →
What makes a handcrafted wood award different?
A handcrafted wood award is shaped from solid lumber by people who respond to each individual board. The grain, weight, and finish become part of what the award communicates. Because no two boards are the same, no two awards are exactly alike, and each one carries the evidence of the hands that made it.
That is the standard behind every piece in our collection of custom wood awards, from perpetual plaques to one-of-a-kind commissions.
No two boards are the same, so no two awards are exactly alike.
Frequently asked questions
How are wooden trophies made?
A handcrafted wooden trophy starts as rough lumber. Each board is read and marked, then milled flat and square, cut into blanks, and shaped with routed details. The piece is sanded repeatedly and finished with stain and oil, then engraved and personalized. At Trophyology, every step is done by our own teams in Austin.
Where are Trophyology's wood awards and trophies made?
Our wood awards are made in our own woodshop in Austin, Texas, by Trophyology artisans. Design happens in our Austin studio.
Is Trophyology a wooden trophy manufacturer?
Yes. We design and manufacture our wood awards and trophies ourselves, from lumber selection through finishing and engraving, in our Austin studio and woodshop.
What woods do you use?
We work in solid walnut and hard maple. Some designs, including Stela Imperium, are finished with a deep ebony stain.
How long does it take to make a custom wood award?
Standard production takes 5 to 7 business days from the time you approve your digital engraving proof. We recommend starting 3 to 6 weeks before your presentation date to leave time for design. Rush production is available for smaller orders, and larger orders of 25 or more awards can take longer.
Can I order a single award?
Yes. You may order a single award to honor one client, partner, or team member, whether it stands alone or is part of a larger recognition program. We take as much care with a single award as with an order of many.
Each honoree's excellence deserves ours
An award is hard-earned by the person who receives it. We believe making it deserves the same dedication. Every award we make is made for a specific person and a specific achievement, and we hold our work to that standard from the first cut to the final finish.
