How Metallic Slate Medals Gave This Martial Arts Competition a Premium Finish

Martial arts events need awards that feel competitive, substantial and properly connected to the identity of the tournament.

For this SONKEI competition, the organisers chose sprayed slate medals with UV printed artwork on the front.

That combination gave them the best of both worlds: the weight and presence of natural slate, with the colour and branding freedom of UV print.

The result was a medal that felt very different from a standard imported metal award while still delivering the bold, premium look expected at a martial arts competition.

Want to Compare the Medal Options in Person?

If you are choosing between engraved wood, colour printed wood, natural slate or metallic sprayed slate, seeing the materials in person can make the decision much easier.

Our free sample packs let organisers compare the weight, finish, engraving and print quality before deciding which option suits their event.

The Design Challenge

Martial arts competitions need medals that do more than display a logo.

They need to feel suitable for a competitive environment, carry strong event branding and work across multiple categories or ranking positions.

For this medal, the main goals were:

• Keep the SONKEI branding clear and recognisable.
• Create a substantial, weighty award.
• Use colour without losing the premium feel of slate.
• Make the medal feel different from a conventional metal award.
• Allow the design to work across multiple competition categories.

Why Sprayed Slate Worked So Well

Natural slate already has a substantial feel because of its thickness, weight and texture.

By adding a sprayed metallic finish, the surface becomes brighter and more contemporary while still keeping the physical characteristics of the stone.

That makes it particularly suitable for martial arts events, where organisers often want something that feels premium and competition-focused.

Why UV Printing Was the Right Decoration Method

For this design, engraving alone would not have delivered the same visual result.

The SONKEI branding relied on colour, so UV printing allowed us to reproduce the artwork directly onto the sprayed slate surface.

That meant the medal could retain:

• Strong red, black and gold colour combinations.
• Detailed logo artwork.
• Clear text.
• Branded shapes and graphic elements.
• A much more contemporary appearance.

The UV print sits on the surface of the slate, giving the design a clean, crisp finish while allowing the metallic background to remain visible around it.

The Difference Between Engraved Slate and UV Printed Slate

Both options work well, but they create very different styles.

For martial arts events with bold branding, UV print is often the stronger choice.

For tournaments with a more traditional or understated identity, engraved slate may suit better.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Options

One of the strongest uses for sprayed slate is podium awards.

The same approach can be used with gold, silver and bronze finishes to create clear first, second and third place medals.

This gives organisers an easy way to create a hierarchy across the awards while keeping the same overall material and design language.

• Gold for first place.
• Silver for second place.
• Bronze for third place.

The same artwork can then be UV printed across each finish, keeping the tournament branding consistent.

Why This Works Especially Well for Martial Arts

Martial arts awards need to balance tradition with strong event identity.

A medal that is too playful can feel wrong, while something too generic can make the event feel like every other tournament.

Metallic sprayed slate sits nicely in the middle.

It has the weight and seriousness organisers expect from a competition medal, but the UV printing gives it enough colour and personality to feel specific to the event.

Using Ribbon to Reinforce the Design

The ribbon is another important part of the award.

For a medal with strong red, black and gold branding, the ribbon can be used to continue the same colour system.

Different ribbon colours can also help separate:

• Age groups.
• Weight categories.
• Different disciplines.
• Podium positions.
• Junior and senior divisions.

For larger martial arts competitions, this can make the award structure easier to manage on the day.

What Other Martial Arts Organisers Can Learn

The biggest lesson from this medal is that you do not need to choose between weight and colour.

Before deciding on your competition medals, consider:

• Is colour a major part of your branding?
• Do podium places need to be visually different?
• Would gold, silver and bronze slate work across the event?
• Do you need something heavier than wood?
• Would engraving or UV printing better suit the artwork?
• Could ribbon colours help separate categories?
• Could the medals and trophies use the same finish?

Thinking about those decisions together normally gives a much stronger result than choosing the medal, ribbon and category system separately.

Case Study Summary

The Final Result

The finished SONKEI medals combined the physical weight of slate with the stronger branding possibilities of UV printing.

The sprayed metallic surface gave the medal a premium finish, while the colour artwork kept the design clearly connected to the competition.

For martial arts events, that combination works particularly well because the medal feels substantial without looking like a generic off-the-shelf award.

Planning a Martial Arts Competition?

If you are organising a karate tournament, martial arts competition, combat sports event or club championship, we can help you decide whether engraved slate, UV printed slate or another medal style is the best fit.

Send us your event branding, quantity and category structure and we can suggest a practical direction.