Going Digital with Awards and Certifications: A Blockchain Solution

While scrolling through my socials the other day, I stumbled upon a photo of a group of business owners who all received awards from a contest. The winners showed off big smiles and framed certificates to hang in their businesses to show off to their customers and vendors. It is a great honor to receive recognition and kudos for a well-done job. But as I reflected on the photo, I thought about how to make this even BETTER with Web3 and some blockchain technology.

You are probably not surprised I went there.

Paper vs Digital

Ah, yes, we have been awarded paper certificates of achievement since our early years. We proudly hang them for others to see until enough time has passed, and we need to move on and do something with them. They go into a box or, worse, the trash. How can we prove to the world that we are #1 when it is hanging out with that treasured stuffed animal and baseball trophy from 2002?

The minimal lifestyle is all the rage. Less is more. So let's make that award digital and store it on our computers. Somewhere on our hard drive, we can find it, right?

Instead, let's make it a non-fungible token that is stored forever on the blockchain. We can see it in all its glory in our secure crypto wallet, with all the details visible on the blockchain.

We may be trading cluttered storage units and garages for mass amounts of tokens in endless numbers of wallets. The awards will be safe without fear of damage from a fire or reckless handling.

Unlock future benefits

What else can you do with a paper certificate? Not much. The entity that issued the certificate may remember (or have some record) that you worked hard to earn the achievement, but record keeping can be a bit sketchy at times. Forgeries, lost records, and forgetful minds are a bugger. Can you enter a VIP event showing a paper certificate as your entry ticket? Unheard of.

Anyone can verify and view if all that information is on the blockchain connected to your digital wallet.

What if a restaurant in town wanted to celebrate all the contest winners I described above and throw them a party? The restaurant employees would need to know who won and who they can allow access to the exclusive event. By showing the token at the door, they have credentials. Without it, sorry Charlie. Would the winners want to lug their certificates with them to the party? Think not.

This universal access opens the possibilities to ANYONE who wants to invite or include these special winners. By using the token as their ticket or identification, winners can gain admission to anyone who wants to throw them a party or offer them discounts and deals.

Even years from now, this can happen. Now, where did that paper certificate go?

Prove you are the winner.

I love the signs in businesses declaring they are the WORLD'S BEST! Anything is possible if you can make a sign, type up a letter, or copy a document. You can be the best at anything if your forgery skills and creativity are top-notch.

Enter blockchain. No forgeries can happen there. You earned it, and you can prove it. Show it to the world, and they can inspect all the transactions to ensure they are legit.

Certifications, awards, and official documentation are the best uses for blockchain technology.

Feel it, smell it.

Blockchain won't replace the feeling of the smooth paper or the shiny gold emblem sticker that adorns your certificate. Nor will it replace the smell of it, either. You know what I'm talking about.

Digital assets have their superpower, though. Add motion and music. Display it in your virtual room in the metaverse. Show it off on your socials, profile, and Zoom background. More creative uses for digital objects than those paper ones. Unfortunately, you can't smell that, folks.

Conclusion

I'm inspired by what is possible in Web3 and the imaginative and creative uses everyone in my city can do with blockchain technology.

Will it happen overnight? Nope.

While we will still hang our awards, trophies, and certificates to admire, we will have more uses and abilities to share our accomplishments with the world and have them remain safe and sound for future generations.

It's exciting to imagine a future where we can proudly display our digital awards to our grandkids without subjecting them to the horrors of our cluttered storage rooms or creepy attics.

With the right tools and knowledge, creating a blockchain-based certificate can be a breeze, so feel free to connect with me if you're interested in getting started!