Are your hard-earned medals tangled in a drawer or collecting dust in a box? It's frustrating when your biggest achievements are hidden away. I'm here to show you how to turn that pile of accomplishments into a display you can be proud of.

Start by sorting your medals by event, date, or personal meaning. Then, select a storage or display method¹ that fits your space and style, like a dedicated hanger, a protective shadow box, or a collector's binder.

Sorting is always the first step. After more than a decade in this business, I've seen that a well-organized collection tells a much better story. It’s like when I work with a client on a series of commemorative coins; we always lay them out chronologically to build a narrative. So, take all your medals and lay them out. Group them in a way that makes sense to you. Maybe it's by date, showing your progress over the years. Or maybe you group them by sport. This simple act of sorting makes the next step—choosing how to display them—much easier and more meaningful. It transforms a jumble of metal into a visual story of your dedication.

Before you even think about hanging or storing them, get everything together. Give each medal a gentle cleaning. A soft microfiber cloth is usually all you need. For the medals we produce at INIMAKER®, especially those with antique finishes or our patented "ColorLock" enamel, a simple dry wipe is best. Harsh chemicals can damage the protective lacquer and the finish. Once they're clean, you can begin the real work of organizing.

There are three main ways I recommend sorting your collection:

1. By Chronology: This is the most straightforward method. Arrange them from your very first race to your most recent achievement. This method creates a powerful timeline of your athletic journey, showing your progress and dedication over time. It’s a great way to see how far you’ve come.

2. By Event or Sport: If you specialize in a specific sport, group all your medals from that discipline together. For example, all your marathon medals in one group, and all your triathlon medals in another. This is perfect for athletes who want to see their accomplishments in a single area consolidated.

3. By Importance or "Story": This is my personal favorite. Create tiers. Your most significant achievements—like a national championship, a personal best you fought hard for, or a first-place finish—go in one pile. Medals from fun runs or local events can go in another. This helps you decide which medals deserve prime display space, like in a shadow box, and which can be stored in a binder or on a multi-tier hanger.

Once sorted, you have a clear inventory. Now you can decide on the best way to showcase and protect them, which we'll dive into next.

How to Creatively Showcase Sports Medals?

A simple hook on the wall is fine, but you're an achiever. Let's think bigger. Here are a few creative ways to make your medals an impressive part of your home decor.

Think beyond basic hangers. You can frame your medals with race bibs and photos. Or, create an interactive display² by pinning them on a large map that marks the location of each event.

Your medals aren't just pieces of metal; they are symbols of hard work and amazing memories. Your display should reflect that. It’s about creating a conversation piece that tells your story. Instead of just showing the medal, show the experience that came with it.

Creating a Narrative Display

The goal here is to combine your medals with other items that tell the full story of your achievement. This turns a simple medal into a chapter of your life.

The "Race Day" Wall

This is a very popular and effective method. You create a collage that captures the entire event.

• What You Need: A floating shelf, picture frames of various sizes, your race bibs, and photos from the event.
• How to Do It:
  1. Place a floating shelf on the wall.
  2. Frame your favorite photo from the race and the race bib in separate frames.
  3. Arrange the frames on the shelf.
  4. Drape the medal over the corner of its corresponding photo frame or hang it from a small hook right below the shelf.

This approach creates a dynamic, multi-dimensional display that’s full of personal meaning.

The Interactive Athlete's Map

This is a fantastic option for athletes who travel for their events. I was inspired by a tourism client, Mark, who uses our custom coins on a map to show off all the destinations he serves.

• What You Need: A large corkboard map (of your country or the world), and some map pins.
• How to Do It:
  1. Mount the corkboard map in a prominent place, like your office or gym space.
  2. For each medal, use a pin to hang it from the city or region where the event took place.

This display is not only visually striking but also interactive. It becomes a fantastic way to share stories about your travels and accomplishments with guests.

Creative Upcycling Projects

For a Medal Lamp, find a lamp with a simple, wide base. Neatly wrap the ribbons of your medals around the base, letting the medals themselves hang freely. For Holiday Ornaments, simply use the ribbons to hang your medals on your Christmas tree. And for the ultimate display, a Glass-Top Shadow Box Coffee Table allows you to arrange medals and memorabilia under the glass, turning your collection into a functional piece of furniture. It’s a sophisticated option that I know some of our high-end clients, like those in the UAE, use for diplomatic gifts.

How to Hang Sports Medals on the Wall?

Hanging medals directly on the wall is a classic for a reason. It's straightforward and looks great. But there's a right way to do it so it looks clean, not cluttered.

Use a dedicated medal hanger with tiered bars to neatly display many medals at once. For a more minimalist look, install individual hooks. A simple curtain rod also works as an effective and affordable DIY solution.

The key to hanging medals on a wall is choosing the right hardware and installing it correctly. A poorly hung display can look messy or even damage your wall. I’ve heard too many stories from athletes whose collections came crashing down because they used the wrong fixtures.

Wall Hanging Methods and Best Practices

Let's break down the most popular and reliable ways to get your medals on the wall.

The Dedicated Medal Hanger

This is the most popular solution. These are hangers specifically designed for this purpose, often made of metal or wood.

• Material:
  • Metal (Stainless Steel/Aluminum): Offers a sleek, modern, and industrial look. It's very durable and can hold a lot of weight.
  • Wood: Provides a warmer, more traditional, and classic feel. It can often be personalized more easily.
• Capacity: Look at how many bars or hooks it has. I always advise clients to buy a hanger that has more capacity than they currently need. Your collection will grow.
• Personalization: Many companies, including ours, can customize these hangers with your name, a motivational quote, or a silhouette of your sport.

Installation Is Everything

No matter what you choose, installing it correctly is crucial.

1. Use a Level: Don’t eyeball it. Use a level to make sure your hanger or rod is perfectly straight.
2. Find the Studs: If possible, screw directly into the wall studs for maximum support.
3. Use Drywall Anchors: If you can't hit a stud, you must use drywall anchors. The combined weight of 20, 30, or more medals is significant. The small plastic anchors included with many products are often not strong enough. Invest in better ones from a hardware store.

Alternative Hanging Methods

A curtain rod is a great hack. It’s cheap, easy to install, and you can slide medal ribbons right over it. A pegboard offers amazing flexibility. You can move hooks around as your collection grows and add small shelves for other items. Using individual decorative hooks for each medal creates a beautiful, spaced-out, gallery-style look, ideal for focusing on a few top achievements.

How to Mount Sports Medals in a Shadow Box?

A shadow box is the perfect solution for protecting your most prized medals. It keeps them safe from dust and damage while turning them into a museum-quality exhibit that tells a story.

Arrange your medals and other items like race bibs on the felt backing. Secure the ribbons neatly with pins or archival tape. Mount the medals themselves by resting them on two straight pins pushed into the backing.

This method is my top recommendation for very special medals—the ones with deep personal stories or high value. It’s the same approach we advise for our military and corporate clients, like Sarah and Klaus, who need to preserve important recognition awards.

The Art of the Shadow Box

Creating a great shadow box display is part art, part science. You need a good design and the right materials.

Choosing the Right Shadow Box

Not all shadow boxes are created equal.

• Size and Depth: Before you buy, measure your thickest medal. The box needs to be deep enough so the medal doesn’t press against the glass.
• Backing: Always choose one with a fabric backing, like felt or linen. This makes it easy to pin your items. Black backing is great for making gold and silver medals pop.
• Glazing (The Glass): This is critical. Look for a shadow box with UV-protective glass or acrylic. Regular glass won't stop sunlight from fading your colorful ribbons and damaging any enamel on the medal. At INIMAKER, our "ColorLock" tech protects our enamel, but the ribbons are still vulnerable.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Mounting

1. Plan Your Layout: Open the box and lay all your items on the backing. Arrange the medal, your race bib (folded neatly), and maybe a photo. Don’t pin anything yet. Move things around until you love the composition. Then, take a quick photo with your phone so you don’t forget it.
2. Secure the Ribbon: Neatly fold the ribbon in a V-shape or straight down. On the back of the ribbon, use a small piece of double-sided archival tape or a pin to hold it to the backing. Never use regular scotch tape; its acid will eat away at the fabric over time.
3. Mount the Medal: Do not use glue! The best and safest way is to use two small, strong straight pins. Push them into the backing right underneath where you want the medal to sit, leaving about a quarter-inch sticking out. They will create a tiny, almost invisible shelf that the medal can rest on securely.

How to Store Sports Medals Properly Without Fading?

Not every medal can be on display. For the rest of your collection, proper storage is essential to preserve them. You worked too hard for them to let them tarnish or fade in a box.

Store medals in a cool, dark, and dry environment. Use acid-free materials like archival boxes or coin collector binders with PVC-free plastic sleeves. Proper storage protects medals from sunlight and humidity, which cause fading and tarnishing.

As a manufacturer, I can't stress this enough. The metals we use, like brass and zinc alloy, are durable, and we apply protective anti-oxidation coatings. But if they are stored in a humid attic or a damp basement, they will eventually tarnish. The biggest enemy to a medal's ribbon is sunlight.

The Science of Preservation

To protect your medals, you need to fight their three main enemies: sunlight, humidity, and chemicals.

The Enemies of Your Collection

• Sunlight (UV Rays): This is the number one cause of faded ribbons. A bright, sunny room will bleach the vibrant colors over a few years.
• Humidity: Moisture in the air causes oxidation (tarnishing) on many metals. It’s what turns shiny finishes dull and cloudy. A basement is often the worst place to store medals.
• Chemicals: Everyday materials like cardboard boxes, wood drawers, and cheap plastics (especially PVC) release acidic gases over time. These acids will slowly corrode the metal and make ribbons brittle.

The Best Storage Solutions

• Collector's Binders: These are my top recommendation. They are binders that hold pages of small, clear pockets. It's crucial to buy pages made of PVC-free plastic. This allows you to organize your medals chronologically and view them easily without a risk of chemical damage.
• Archival Boxes: These are acid-free, lignin-free boxes, sometimes called photo storage boxes. You lay medals flat inside, separated by sheets of acid-free tissue paper. This is great for long-term "deep storage."
• Felt-Lined Trays: You can find stackable felt-lined trays, often sold for jewelry, that work well. The soft lining prevents scratching, but make sure the storage cabinet or drawer itself is in a dry location.

Before you store any medal, give it that gentle wipe-down with a soft, dry cloth. Storing a clean medal is the best way to ensure it looks just as good in ten years as it does today.

Conclusion

Organizing your sports medals is more than just cleaning up. It's about honoring your journey and celebrating your hard work. Whether you hang them on a wall, frame them in a box, or store them safely, you're preserving your amazing stories.