Best-and-fairest is one of the most recognised awards in Australian club sport. It doesn't just go to the most talented player: it goes to the one who combined performance with conduct, effort with respect. That dual meaning is what separates this award from a straightforward player-of-the-year trophy, and it's the part that most engraving completely ignores. Getting the wording right means acknowledging both halves of the title, not just stamping a name and a season.
Why best-and-fairest engraving is different
Most player awards recognise a single quality: goals scored, saves made, or points accumulated. Best-and-fairest is different because it's a character award as much as a performance one. The recipient won on a points-based system that rewards consistent excellence and good sportsmanship across the whole season. An engraving that reads only "Best and Fairest 2026" leaves that story untold.
The best engravings for this award tend to do two things. First, they name the club and the season clearly, so the award is anchored in context. Second, they add one line that captures the spirit of the award: not praise for any single match, but recognition of a full season played the right way.
That's a narrow brief, but it's a useful one. It stops you reaching for generic phrases that could apply to any trophy.
Wording formats that work
Below are formats that suit a best-and-fairest award. Each can be adapted to your club name, sport and season.
- Classic two-line: "Best and Fairest / [Club Name] [Year]" — clean, dignified, lets the award speak for itself.
- Three-line with recipient: "[Recipient Name] / Best and Fairest / [Club Name] [Season]"
- Four-line with descriptor: "[Club Name] / Best and Fairest / [Season] / Excellence and Integrity"
- With a quote or motto: "Awarded for outstanding skill and sportsmanship throughout the [Year] season"
The four-line format works particularly well on a plaque or larger glass award where there's room to breathe. On a smaller medal or acrylic trophy, stick to two or three lines so nothing feels cramped.
Descriptor lines worth considering
If your award has space for a short descriptor below the main details, these single-line phrases fit the best-and-fairest spirit without sounding generic.
"For playing the game the right way" is honest and direct. It doesn't try to be poetic, and it lands well across most sports. "Season-long excellence, on and off the field" works for football codes. "Skill, effort and respect, every game" suits junior competitions where conduct is weighted heavily in the voting. "The complete season" is brief but meaningful: three words that sum up what the award actually measures.
Avoid phrases like "outstanding contribution" or "exceptional effort" on their own. They're overused on almost every other award, which means they dilute the specific meaning of best-and-fairest. The wording should earn its place by being specific to this category.
Engraving ideas by sport
The same award exists under different names across different codes, and the phrasing can reflect that context.
Australian rules football: Brownlow Medal-style language fits naturally here. "Best and Fairest, as adjudged by field umpires" works on club-level trophies that mirror the professional format. Most clubs won't use umpire voting, but the phrase signals the tradition the award draws from.
Cricket: "Best and Fairest, [Club] Cricket Club, [Season]" followed by "Awarded for skill and conduct throughout the season" suits the format well. Cricket clubs often run separate batting and bowling awards, so the best-and-fairest wording should emphasise its all-round, character-based nature.
Netball and basketball: These sports often use best-and-fairest as a catch-all for their top player award. The engraving can lean slightly more into performance language than conduct language, since officiating and voting systems vary widely. "Best and Fairest, [Club] Netball Club, [Season]" with "Recognised for consistent excellence across every game" is reliable.
Soccer: Junior soccer clubs in particular run strong best-and-fairest programs. For under-12 through under-16 age groups, wording like "Best and Fairest / [Club] Soccer Club / [Year] / For always playing with heart" lands well with young recipients and their families.
Rugby league and union: "Best and Fairest Player, [Club], [Year]" with "For effort, skill and respect shown throughout the season" is a reliable choice. Rugby codes put significant weight on discipline and team conduct, so including "respect" or "discipline" in the descriptor is fitting.
What to engrave on junior best-and-fairest awards
Junior awards carry extra weight because they shape how a young athlete understands recognition. The engraving on a junior best-and-fairest should acknowledge both the achievement and the values behind it, without sounding patronising.
"For skill, effort and sportsmanship throughout the [Year] season" works at any age level. "You played well and you played right" is more personal and suits a smaller club with a tight community feel. Avoid phrasing that focuses only on talent: the fairest part of the award matters as much as the best part, and junior players need to see that reflected in what's written on the trophy they take home.
For player of the year awards more broadly, wording tends to lean toward performance. Best-and-fairest is the category where you can, and should, weight the language toward character.
Layout and line hierarchy
The physical layout of the engraving matters as much as the words. A best-and-fairest award typically follows this hierarchy, from top to bottom:
Club name (largest or most prominent text) / Award title: "Best and Fairest" / Recipient name / Season or year / Descriptor line (smallest, if used).
Some clubs reverse the order and lead with the award title, which is also fine if the trophy design lends itself to a centred, bold main heading. The recipient name should never be the smallest element on the award. It's personal recognition: the name should be legible from arm's length.
If you're ordering from Westlakes Trophies, the engraving team can advise on line spacing and font sizing based on the specific trophy or plaque you've chosen. Bringing a draft of your wording when you order saves time and avoids layout issues after the fact.
Perpetual best-and-fairest trophies
Some clubs run their best-and-fairest as a perpetual trophy: a single award that accumulates winner names across many seasons. The engraving brief changes significantly in this format. Each new entry needs to be consistent with the existing ones: same font size, same information in the same order, same spacing. Year, name, and sometimes team or grade level are the standard fields on a perpetual plate.
If your club is starting a perpetual best-and-fairest trophy from scratch, plan the plate layout before any names go on. Decide upfront how many names will fit per column and how many columns the base can hold. Running out of space on a perpetual trophy after 15 years is a common problem that's easy to avoid with a bit of planning at the start.
For detailed guidance on managing perpetual awards over time, the engraving ideas for sports club trophies article covers layout conventions and plate sizing that apply directly to perpetual formats.
A note on spelling and punctuation
Best-and-fairest is hyphenated. That's the standard Australian usage across football, cricket and most other sporting codes. Some clubs drop the hyphens ("Best and Fairest") and that's acceptable, but pick one format and use it consistently across all your awards. An engraving that reads "Best and Fairest" on the trophy but "Best-and-Fairest" in the program looks like an error, even if neither version is technically wrong.
The season reference can be a calendar year ("2026"), a season format ("2026 Season") or a competition year ("2025/26") depending on your sport's convention. Use whichever format your club uses everywhere else. Consistency between the trophy and the rest of the club's communications is what makes the award feel official.