How to issue different certificates to event groups

Plan certificate designs and recipient lists for event winners, attendees, speakers, judges, mentors, and volunteers.

By Ashwin S Shenoy · Founder and engineerPublished 30 September 2026Updated 19 October 20264 min read

In this guide

The use case

One event can recognise people in several ways. Winners may need an award title, speakers need a thank-you, and participants need proof they took part. If every person receives the same certificate, the wording may not fit. If every group gets a separate manual process, the organiser has more lists to prepare.

How it works in Verifycate

Certificate Templates and Attributes

In Verifycate, create a certificate and attach a Template. Use separate certificates and Templates when groups need different wording or design. When the same design works, use recipient Attributes such as Award, Track, Team, or Role to personalise it. Map those columns during CSV or Excel import, then preview the Template with recipient data before publishing.

Read the glossary entry.

1. List the groups and what each one is being recognised for

Start with the event’s actual recipient groups: for example, winners, finalists, participants, speakers, judges, mentors, and volunteers. Write down what each certificate should recognise and which details must appear.

Use the event’s results or attendance records to confirm each recipient’s group. Verifycate issues the recipient data you provide; it does not decide who won, spoke, judged, or attended.

2. Choose separate certificates or one personalised Template

Create separate certificates when groups need different wording, issuer details, or visual design. This can make the recipient list easier to review when award winners and general participants have different recognition.

HackBengaluru 2026 certificate setup with a dark Excellence design and Award, Track, Team and Role attributes — One certificate can carry several group Attributes. Here Award, Track, Team and Role are defined once and filled from each recipient's row.

Use one certificate and Template with recipient Attributes when the design and wording are mostly the same. For example, a shared event design can show each person’s Award, Track, Team, or Role from their recipient record.

3. Keep the data easy to map

Use one row per recipient and consistent values in the columns that identify each group. For a competition, that might be Award, Track, and Team. For a conference, it might be Session and Role. Create corresponding certificate Attributes in Verifycate before mapping these columns during import.

HackBengaluru 2026 recipient list with winners, runners-up, mentors, judges and volunteers — The recipient list shows every group in one place. Separate certificates still get their own list; a shared design keeps them together with a Role or Award Attribute.

If you are using separate certificates, split the prepared recipient list by certificate before adding recipients. If you are using one Template, check that every row has the right group value and that the related Attribute is included in the design.

4. Preview every kind of recipient

Use Preview with Data to check examples from each group—not only the first row. Look for long award names, missing team values, unexpected role labels, and text that does not fit the Template.

Preview dialog showing the HackBengaluru certificate with Aditya Verma's name and issue date — Preview with Data checks a real recipient against the design. Repeat it for a winner, a mentor and a volunteer, not just the first row of the file.

Ask another organiser to review the group-to-certificate mapping before publishing. The person checking the list should be able to tell which award or role each row receives without guessing.

5. Publish each group and handle later requests

Review the recipient list and publish when each certificate is ready. Publishing issues and emails the certificates; each certificate issued uses one credit.

Publish confirmation dialog for a group certificate batch showing eight certificates and eight credits — Each group is published as its own batch. The confirmation states how many certificates and credits the group will use before anything is sent.

If a participant or volunteer is missing, share the Issue Request Form and choose Review Before Issuing if someone must confirm their eligibility. If a recipient later spots a typo, they can submit a Correction Form request from their certificate page.