This September, we’ve teamed up with Gaelforce to create a very different kind of prize for the Gaelforce Great Fjord Swim at Killary Fjord.
Winners across all 16 categories will receive one of our handcrafted 3D maps of Killary Fjord, with each map individually engraved with the Gaelforce Great Fjord Swim title and the category it was awarded for.
It’s a new take on the traditional trophy: an award that records the achievement, but also captures the landscape where it happened.
Celebrating achievement and place
For more than 20 years, Gaelforce has been creating outdoor challenges in some of Ireland’s most spectacular landscapes, from open-water swimming and trail running to adventure racing.
Killary Fjord makes an extraordinary setting for one of those challenges. Stretching between Galway and Mayo, its steep mountainsides and deep Atlantic waters form one of Ireland’s most distinctive landscapes.
Our layered wooden map captures that landscape in three dimensions, while the personalised engraving turns each piece into an individual award with a strong emotional connection.
Rather than a trophy that could belong to any event, the winners take home something that is unmistakably connected to this race, this achievement and this place.
A different kind of event prize
The collaboration also shows what we can create for other sporting and corporate events.
Outcrop maps can be developed as prizes for running races, cycling events, sailing regattas, open-water swims, triathlons, adventure races and corporate challenges — particularly where the landscape or route is an important part of the experience.
Maps can be personalised with the event name, category, date or achievement, and for route-based events we can also work from GPS, GPX or Strava data to engrave a running, cycling, swimming or sailing route directly onto the map.
That creates the possibility of an award that is highly specific to the event, while still being something the recipient would want to display at home long after race day.
Designed and made in Sligo
Every Outcrop map is designed and made in our Sligo studio, combining geographic data, digital design and hands-on craft to build landscapes layer by layer from wood.
Sustainability is also central to how we work, from our carefully selected FSC-certified materials and water-based finishes to our plastic-free packaging. That made Gaelforce a particularly natural collaborator, with its own strong commitment to protecting the landscapes and communities in which its events take place.
Could we create an award for your event?
Whether it’s a sailing race around a particular coastline, a cycling sportive through the mountains or a running event with an iconic route, we can create prizes that tell the story of both the achievement and where it happened.
If you’re organising a sporting event, corporate challenge or outdoor experience and are looking for an alternative to the traditional trophy, get in touch with us to discuss the location, route and event.
