Before a medal can be awarded, it must be manufactured, and the International Tolstoy Peace Prize foundation was tasked by its founders to produce a worthy medal.
According to the foundation, a huge amount of work was done: hundreds of samples of such medals awarded to laureates of various prizes existing in the world were studied, including their design, weight, size, and composition of the material. Numerous consultations were held with specialists in the fields of phaleristics, heraldry, historians, and, of course, artists, and art historians.
Given the international nature of the prize, international experts were also involved in the discussions.
The laureate of the award is also awarded a laureate diploma. Its design was also developed by the foundation's employees and approved by the founders and the board of trustees of the foundation. On the dark burgundy leather cover of the diploma there is a laurel branch and the name of the award in gold embossing, on the spread there is the name of the laureate, the year of the award, and it is also indicated what the award was given for.
The foundation thoroughly described the R&D process to implement this concept in a physical material. Taking into account world experience, the level and significance of the award, the foundation determined the parameters of the medal—dimensions, weight, material of manufacture—gold. Then, the organizers began to choose the medals' manufacturer.
They ultimately stopped at the Moscow Mint - a branch of Goznak, a Russian joint-stock company responsible for research and development as well as manufacturing security products including banknotes, coins, stamps, identity cards, secure documents, state orders and medals, as well as providing secure services, which has "extensive experience in the production of state awards, has the latest equipment and highly qualified specialists, and has worldwide fame."
In cooperation with the company's specialists, taking into account the specifics of working with precious metals, the parameters of the medal were brought to the current ones:
diameter - 65 mm,
weight - 247.9 g,
gold of 585 assay value with gilding of gold of 99.9 assay value.
In October 2023, an order for the medal was placed at the Moscow Mint and the medal was ready at the end of the year.
Overall, the medal production cycle from idea to implementation took about a year.