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Employee incentive gifts

Employee incentive gifts and sales contest prizes

The best employee incentive gifts are prizes named on day one: a small one for everyone who plays, a better one for the top ten, and one grand prize, shipped within days. Our gifts start at $22.

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Incentive gifts for the four programs most companies run

The best employee incentive gifts are prizes people can picture before they start: named on day one, the same for everyone who earns them, and delivered within days of the result.

  • Sales contests.

    A prize for every rep who plays, a better one for the top ten and one clear grand prize for the winner.

  • Safety and attendance milestones.

    The same gift for everyone who hits the mark, so a site or a shift celebrates together, not one name.

  • Spot awards.

    One gift a manager can send the week something good happens, from a budget set aside at the start of the year.

  • Peer recognition.

    Coworkers nominate, a small panel picks each month's names, and every pick gets the same box.

This page is for whoever runs the prizes: a sales leader, an ops or safety manager, HR or a recognition committee. Looking for ideas beyond gifts, from free perks to time off? See 35 employee incentive ideas. Thanking everyone, with no contest attached? See employee appreciation gifts.

A sales contest prize ladder, priced

Every player gets the Quogue Luxury Gift Box (X-Small) ($22), the rest of the top ten get the Quogue Luxury Gift Box (Medium) ($58) and the winner gets the Hampton Duo Tower ($82). Totals before shipping and branding.

Sales contest prize cost by number of participants
PlayersEveryone else, $22 eachPlaces 2 to 10, $58 eachWinnerTotal
20 players10 x $22 = $2209 x $58 = $522$82$824
40 players30 x $22 = $6609 x $58 = $522$82$1,264
80 players70 x $22 = $1,5409 x $58 = $522$82$2,144
150 players140 x $22 = $3,0809 x $58 = $522$82$3,684

Same ladder for a safety or attendance program: everyone who hits the milestone gets the $22 box, and the site or shift with the best record shares a tower. Want a bigger grand prize? Swap in any gift from the $100 to $200 list below and the total moves by the difference.

Incentive prizes by budget

Real prices per gift, before shipping and branding. Every gift here is chocolate, so check allergies before you name it as a prize.

Under $40: a prize for everyone who takes part

The participation prize, the safety milestone gift for a whole site, or a spot award a manager can send any week.

$40 to $100: the top ten and the monthly pick

A fuller box for contest finishers and peer recognition winners, or a tower the winner shares with their team.

$100 to $200: the grand prize

One statement box for the winner of a quarter or a big contest, when the rest of the ladder sits under $60.

$200 and up: the year's top performer

The once-a-year award for the top rep or the record-setting team, given on stage at the kickoff.

Every gift opens our partner store, where you can order online. Sending to a long list or adding your logo? Get a free quote with volume pricing instead.

Rules that keep a contest or award program fair

Most incentive programs that backfire do so on fairness, not on the prize. Six rules to settle before launch.

  • Publish the prizes on day one.

    Name every prize and its photo in the kickoff note, so people know exactly what they are playing for.

  • Give everyone who plays something.

    A small prize for every participant keeps the middle of the leaderboard trying through the last week.

  • Write down the tie-break.

    Decide ahead how a tie is settled, so the winner is never picked after the fact.

  • Count every shift and site.

    Night crews, weekend staff and remote reps must be able to win on the same terms as the main office.

  • Award it within days.

    A prize that lands a month after the contest ends rewards nothing. Order ahead so it ships on time.

  • Rotate the spot awards.

    Track who got one this year, so the same five names don't collect every award.

Shipping prizes to winners' homes

Remote reps and field staff win too. Plan the shipping before the contest, so the prize arrives while the win still feels new.

  • Order the ladder before the contest starts.

    You already know the counts: one grand prize, nine top-ten prizes and one per remaining player. Only the names change.

  • Collect addresses with the results.

    Ask each winner where the prize should go, home or office, in the same note that tells them they won.

  • Ship to each address.

    Each prize can ship to its own address, with timing and shipping charges set by the destination.

  • Leave time for logos.

    Unbranded gifts take about 2 to 3 weeks; logo gifts take 4 to 6 weeks with a typical 10-unit minimum per product.

The tax basics, as the IRS publishes them

General information from IRS Publication 15-B (2026), not tax advice. Check with your payroll team before you set the prize list.

  • Small, occasional gifts.

    Holiday or birthday gifts, other than cash, with a low fair market value are listed as de minimis benefits that can be excluded from pay.

  • Gift cards never are.

    Cash and cash equivalents, including gift cards and gift certificates, are never excludable as de minimis, however small the amount.

  • Length of service and safety awards.

    Tangible personal property given for length of service or safety achievement can be excluded up to $1,600 a year, or $400 for awards that aren't qualified plan awards, when the conditions are met.

  • What that exclusion leaves out.

    Cash, gift cards, gift certificates, vacations, meals, lodging and event tickets don't count as achievement awards.

Read the full rules in IRS Publication 15-B, under De Minimis (Minimal) Benefits and Achievement Awards. Sales contest prizes are a separate question for your payroll team.

Make the prize an experience for the winning team

When a team wins, a gift each is fine; an hour together is what they talk about. A live host runs each one on video, and every card shows the live price.

For a winners' celebration on Thursday, February 4, 2027, book a hosted game by Thursday, January 21, 2027 and a kit workshop by Thursday, January 14, 2027 for US addresses, or by Thursday, December 31, 2026 with winners in Canada or abroad. Announcing the results live? See the virtual awards ceremony, and more on virtual trivia, virtual wine tasting and charcuterie board making.

Employee incentive gift questions

What are good employee incentive gifts?

Prizes people can picture before they start and that everyone who earns them gets on the same terms: a gift box for every participant, a fuller box for the top finishers, a grand prize for the winner, or an hour together as the prize for a winning team. Name them in the kickoff note so they motivate from day one.

What should the prizes be for a sales contest?

Use a ladder. In a 40-person contest, the 30 players outside the top ten get a $22 gift box ($660), places 2 to 10 get a $58 box ($522) and the winner gets an $82 tower: $1,264 in all before shipping. Everyone who plays gets something, and the top of the board still has a reason to push.

What makes a good spot award gift?

Something a manager can send the same week the good work happens, at a set price so every spot award is equal. A gift box under $40 fits most spot award budgets; set the yearly budget and who can send one before the program starts.

Are incentive gifts taxable?

IRS Publication 15-B lists small, occasional non-cash gifts with a low value as de minimis benefits that can be excluded, and says cash and gift cards never are, however small. Tangible awards for length of service or safety achievement have their own exclusion, up to $1,600 or $400 depending on the plan. This is general information, not tax advice: check with your payroll team.

Why not just give gift cards?

Many teams do. A gift card is flexible, but the IRS treats it as a cash equivalent that is never de minimis, and it is easy to forget once it is spent. A boxed prize arrives as a moment the winner can share with the team or family.

Can prizes ship to winners' homes?

Yes. Each prize can ship to its own address, with timing and shipping charges depending on the destination. Ask for the address in the same note that tells someone they won.

How far ahead should we order prizes?

Unbranded gifts take about 2 to 3 weeks, and gifts with your logo take 4 to 6 weeks. Since you know the prize counts before the contest starts, order the ladder at launch and only fill in the names when results are in.

Is there a minimum order?

Minimums are typically 10 units per product, and custom branding can raise them. Tell us the full ladder, how many players and where they are, and we'll quote it.

Can the prize be an experience instead of a gift?

Yes. A winning team can get a hosted virtual game or a kit workshop, with supplies shipped to each home and a live host running the hour. Book a hosted game about 2 weeks ahead and a kit workshop about 3 weeks ahead for US addresses, or 5 weeks with anyone in Canada or abroad.

What about allergies?

Every gift on this page is chocolate. Check allergies before you name a prize, check each product's ingredient details, and ask us for an alternative for anyone who can't have it.

Price your prize ladder

Tell us the program, how many players, the prize tiers and where winners are, and we'll come back with prizes, timing and a quote.

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