During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual distance challenges such as The Conqueror Challenges and Pacer Virtual Challenges became very popular. These challenges enable participants to travel along a virtual route through the host app by completing the same distance in the real world. For example, you can recreate the historic run through Marathon to Athens by walking, cycling, running, or swimming 26 miles.
I became interested in these challenges as a way to motivate myself to meet my health goals. With a tangible reward at the end of each challenge and a wide variety of medals to collect, I find it easier to keep moving and stay active every day. The medals are also very attractive and colorful, and I wanted a way to display them on my wall after I completed each one.
Other designs and options
I took a look at the options already available on the market to see if any of them would work. I found hangers with rods that you hung the medals from, but those only really show off the first dozen or so medals. The modular, honeycomb-like display plaques I found were much more appealing.
The Conqueror Challenges themselves have honeycomb plaques available, made from eco-friendly bamboo. I liked the minimalist appearance and the warmth of the wood, but not the dark spots in the gaps between the two pieces.
I also found several STL files for 3D printing, for a two-piece plaque. Some used magnets, others used threads to screw the circular plate into the base. I tried both of these but found them fiddly and somewhat frustrating to work with.
I didn’t really like any of the two-piece plaque options available, and prefer the clean look of a solid, flat face behind my medals. So, I decided to design my own.
My design
I came up with the following specs and constraints:
- No magnets, moving parts, or threads
- Prints easily without any supports or cleanup work required
- Displays part of the ribbon, since it usually has beautiful artwork that matches the medal’s theme
- Sits flush against the wall without any visible hardware
- Has to have room in the back for the rest of the ribbon that isn’t visible
- Has to use paint-friendly attachments like Command Strips
I don’t like putting holes in my walls (and we have lath-and-plaster walls anyway), so I use Command Strips for nearly everything. The hook-and-loop attachment of the picture hanging version of the strips also allows me to rearrange my plaques without damaging my walls.
The original design has gone through very minor revisions since I first published it. I’ve added a small notch in the top for people that prefer to mount the plaques on nails, and I’ve made additional sizes of plaques as well.
These have become my best-selling product by far, with over 2,000 plaques sold as of 2025. I even made a special edition for the buyer that ordered the 1,000th plaque out of shiny bronze-colored filament.
By popular request, I also made the STL files for my design available, and they’ve become my top-selling digital download. They’re perfect for people with their own 3D printers, or people who live in places that are difficult or expensive for me to ship to. Thanks to how I set up the original design, it’s pretty much foolproof to print them.
Other versions
I’ve designed a few custom plaques for specific medals as well. These custom plaques have additional features like a different shape, spots for milestone pins, or custom graphics.
