Bronze, Silver, Gold—Oh My!

Bronze, Silver, and Gold may just be a list of metals to some, but to Girl Scouts, these represent the highest honors a Girl Scout can earn. The Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award take a great deal of motivation and determination to complete—and we are always in awe of our Girl Scouts who go above and beyond. Itching to know more about Girl Scouts' highest awards and the criteria behind them? We broke all three down for you!

All About Bronze

The Bronze Award is the highest honor that a Girl Scout Junior can earn. You can pursue your Girl Scout Bronze Award if:

You're in fourth or fifth grade (or equivalent)

You're a registered Girl Scout Junior

You have completed a Junior Journey

Important things to know about the Bronze Award:

• The suggested number of work hours for the Bronze Award is 20 hours.
• Girls must work together in a team setting to complete.
• Girls can start working toward their awards after they bridge, or transition, to the next Girl Scout level.

Interested in completing your Bronze Award? Read through the Bronze Award guidelines for information on choosing a project, making a plan, and putting your project in motion!

All About Silver

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Cadette can earn. You can pursue your Girl Scout Silver Award if:

 

You're in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade (or equivalent)

You're a registered Girl Scout Cadette

You have completed a Cadette Journey

Important things to know about the Silver Award:

• The suggested number of work hours for the Silver Award is 50 hours.
• Girls working toward their Silver Award may work individually or in small groups.

Interested in completing your Silver Award? Read through the Silver Award guidelines for information on identifying issues you care about, building a team, and choosing a take action project. 

All About Gold

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. You can pursue your Girl Scout Gold Award if:

You're in high school (ninth through twelfth grade, or equivalent)

You're registered as a Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador

You have completed two Senior or Ambassador Journeys OR earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and completed a Journey

Important things to know about the Gold Award:

• The suggested number of work hours for the Gold Award is 80 hours.
• Girls must earn the Gold Award as individuals. A girl who is working on her project as an individual allows her to develop important leadership skills that working in a group setting cannot provide.
• Girl Scout Gold Awardees are eligible for unique scholarships.

Interested in completing your Gold Award? Visit Girl Scouts' exclusive website for the Gold Award—Go Gold Online—where you can learn more about prerequisites, preview the Gold Award steps, and read through the Gold Award's rich history.

Earning any one of Girl Scouts' highest honors is an exciting thing, and while they may have some difference requirements, a couple things remain the same across all the awards:

• To earn a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award, girls are required to come up with their own Take Action project theme. It's important for the girls to be able to work on something that they are passionate about.
• Their Take Action project must be sustainable. A sustainable project is one that lasts after the girl’s participation ends. Sustainability is important in ensuring that the community is benefiting from the Take Action project years after the project has been completed.
• Journey's are imperative to the completion of any award. By completing Journeys, girls get to experience the level of commitment needed to earn the highest awards available to Girl Scouts. They’ll gain valuable skills, and be better prepared to develop, plan, and implement the Take Action project needed to earn their Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

Need more information? Visit the highest awards page on our website!