Your Go-To Guide For National Beta Club Trading Pins

5-minute read

Getting Started

Beta Club trading pins provide a fun and creative way to share your group’s achievements and personality, which is why the tradition is so loved! If it’s time to create a design of your own, there are a few things to keep in mind like the competition guidelines, grading scale, and, of course, all the options available for creating a unique design. That’s why we’ve created this go-to guide on designing Beta Club pins - take a look below to get all the details.

Trading Pin Rules and Judging Criteria for National Beta Club

When it comes to the practice of pin trading during the National Beta Club Convention, the most important rule is to be polite and courteous with other club members. Pin trading has always been a fun way of meeting new people and celebrating a shared sense of purpose and camaraderie. But it’s also been a source of spirited competition. 

Every convention invites club members to submit their group’s trading pin for judging, and the top designs will be recognized at the end of the event. If you want your pins included in the competition, make sure you follow the rules outlined below:

• • • Pins must adhere to the convection theme
    • Pins cannot endorse club candidates for office
    • Pins must be commercially reproduced
    • A club trading pin form must be attached to the project to be considered for judging

There are three levels of the National Beta Club - Elementary, Junior, and Senior. If your plan is to submit a design for judging, make sure that you submit it to your level only. Elementary pins will only compete against other Elementary pins, Juniors against Juniors, and Seniors against Seniors.

Adhering to the convection theme is another important step. For example, in 2023-2024, the theme was "A Voyage of Adventure" and in 2024-2025, the theme is “Radiate,” so think of ways to introduce that theme into your design. The pins that best capture the spirit of the theme are more likely to be chosen by the judges for recognition. 

Lastly, when it comes to judging criteria, the panel of judges will be looking at 5 specific elements of your pin design:

1. 1. 1. Interpretation and Illustration of the Convention Theme
      2. Artistic Design
      3. Craftsmanship
      4. Creativity, Color, and Contrast
      5. Originality and Complexity of Design

Now that we’ve covered all the rules and judging criteria, it’s time for you to consider all your design options!

How to Craft a Unique National Beta Club Pin

There are tons of options to keep in mind when getting started on your National Beta Club pins. It all starts with size and shape, but then you get to think of ways to incorporate things like blinkers, danglers, and spinners to help your pins stand out from the crowd. Below is a list of fun options to consider as you craft your trading pins:

• • • Glitter enamel: One of the judging criteria relates to color, and if you want colors to pop in your design, glitter enamel is the way to go!
    • Spinners: Not only do spinners make your pins more fun to fiddle with, but the actual spinner can help emphasize elements of your design.
    • Blinkers: Trading pins often come with blinkers, and we have a few color options as well.
    • Danglers: One of the most common things we see with danglers are low-hanging Beta Club banners, but let your imagination run wild! 
    • Gemstones: There are all kinds of colored gemstones available and even more unique ways to incorporate them into your design. 
    • Cutouts: If you create a custom shape trading pin, cut outs help define the details and give the artwork a unique appeal.
    • 3D artwork: If you want depth and detail, you can’t go wrong with a 3D pin! 

But it all starts with an idea. No matter what you have in mind, we can help bring it to life. We’ve seen custom shape pins, pins that reference pop culture icons, pins with interactive elements and so much more. All we need is a few details on your idea, and our professional team of artists can get started on a digital proof. 

Submit a quote request, let us know what options you’d like to include in your design, and we’ll take care of the rest. Artwork and revisions are always free, and when you get your first digital proof, we’ll be happy to help you revise the design until it’s perfect!