Special care was taken in the selection of a design for the diploma, which, according to the Olympic Statutes, should be presented to the victors in addition to the medals. Twelve leading German graphic artists were invited to submit designs, and the results varied widely. The prizewinning design of Professor Ernst Boehm, Berlin, represented an entirely new conception of such a diploma. He utilized white cardboard for his diploma, the Brandenburg Gate and Olympic Bell, as symbols of the Games, being printed on a gilt background, while the Olympic Stadium embossed in white formed the centre piece. The central portion of the certificate was divided by a gold band upon which the word, "Ehrenurkunde" was inscribed. Above it the inscription, "XI. Olympiade Berlin 1936," was engraved in red on a white background and the lower part contained the name of the victor, his country and the sport in which he participated. At the bottom of the diploma was another gold band upon which the facsimile signatures of the Presidents of the International Olympic Committee and Organizing Committee as well as the five Olympic rings in their original colours were embossed. The Berlin firm, Erasmus-Druck GmbH, undertook the production of these diplomas, an extremely difficult task because of the unusual material used, and provided a total of 1,500, including appropriate folders. The paper was contributed by the firm, J. W. Zander, Berlin, first-rate paper being provided for this purpose.

(Source document:  Official Report 1936, page 126)