Become a Gold Award Girl Scout

Change the world, change your life, and earn the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting.

Gold Award Girl Scouts are rock stars, role models, and real-life heroes. How do they do it? By using everything they’ve learned as a Girl Scout to help fix a problem in their community or make a lasting change in their world. And you don’t have to be a seasoned activist or star student to get there. Girl Scouts who want to get involved and go for the Gold Award get a team of trusted adults and leaders in their community to guide them through challenges and lead them to success, step-by-step. There’s no other program like it.

Plus? Nothing beats that feeling of seeing real, lasting, and sustainable change and knowing it was you who made it happen. It changes the way you see your place in the world—and how the world sees you. Having the Girl Scout Gold Award on your high school transcript or resume can make you stand out when it comes to college admissions, scholarship applications, internships, and job interviews.

You can become a Gold Award Girl Scout if you:

Are in ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade
Are a registered Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador
Have completed the Silver Award or a Senior/Ambassador Leadership Award

Become a Gold Award Girl Scout

Ready to change the world, for good?

GET STARTED

How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award

Take a Gold Award Training. Reach out to info@girlscoutstoday.org for information and questions.
Review Gold Award Handbook and Gold Award Rubric.
Find an issue in your community or the world that you care about.
Learn everything you can about that issue through research and trusted sources.
Form a team by identifying experts and people in your community who could help you.
Think about the root cause of an issue, then make a plan of how you could tackle it.
Lead your team and carry out your plan.
Reflect on the change you’ve created in your community and the world, share your story, and inspire others to make a difference.

Resources

Let's go for gold!

Download these resources to start planning your Gold Award project.

Hey Grown Ups!

When you support Girl Scouts earning their Gold Award, you’ll help them see their own power and be by their side as they make a lasting change in their community. Download a guide to get started today.

Become a Gold Award Coach toggle arrow

Gold Award Coaches are a trusted guide, helping Girl Scouts develop their ideas and grow as leaders. As a coach, you'll support them throughout their experience as they navigate the Gold Award process and standards—and be their champion as they build confidence, bring their project to life, and make a difference in their communities.

Role Expectations

Maintain a current Girl Scout membership and background check.
Complete the required GSUSA Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Course on gsLearn within the first 2 weeks and annually thereafter.
Complete Gold Award Coach training within the first 4 weeks.
Attend bi-monthly cohort meetings and learning sessions.
Participate in ongoing learning to stay current on Gold Award standards, tools, and resources.
Follow GSUSA and council policies and expectations.

Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship

The GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes and provides financial support to one Gold Award Girl Scout per council.

LEARN MORE

Highest Award Prerequisites

Leadership Awards

Celebrate all the ways you lead–yourself, your team, and your community–with new & updated leadership awards.

Badges

As a Girl Scout there are hundreds of ways for you to discover something new or take your current passion to the next level through badges.

Highest Awards FAQs

Going for your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award? Get answers to the most common questions to get started.

They earned it, so can you!