The highest award in Girl Scouting—Girl Scout Gold Award

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award for Girl Scouts ages 14-17, focuses on leadership, career exploration, personal growth, and community action.

A Girl Scout who has earned the Gold Award can look forward to access to college scholarships (through Girl Scouts of Greater New York and Girl Scouts of the USA), internships, community awards, and can be nominated for the Girl Scout Gold Award Young Woman of Distinction honor from GSUSA.

More than 3,500 Girl Scouts design, implement, and complete Gold Award projects each year.

Girl Scouts start by choosing an issue they care about and following these steps:

1. Complete Prerequisites

Fulfilling the prerequisites starts with completing two Senior or Ambassador Journeys, or earning the Silver Award and completing one Senior or Ambassador journey.

Senior Journeys:

GirlTopia. It’s Your World - Change It!
Sow What? It’s Your Planet - Love It!
Mission: Sisterhood! It’s Your Story – Tell It!
Engineering: Think Like an Engineer
Computer Science: Think Like a Programmer
Outdoor STEM: Think Like a Citizen Scientist

Ambassador Journeys:

Advocate: It’s Your World - Change It!
Justice: It’s Your Planet - Love It!
Bliss: Live It! Give It!
It’s Your Story – Tell It!
Engineering: Think Like an Engineer
Computer Science: Think Like a Programmer
Outdoor STEM: Think Like a Citizen Scientist

2. Create a Proposal for the Take Action Project

The Take Action Project should be a minimum of 80 hours. The project should have a lasting impact on their community. Think about your passions, interests, and the issues you’ve observed in your community and the world. How can you make an impact by turning that into a Take Action project?

3. Submit the Gold Award Proposal

Submit your Gold Award Proposal Form Online:

Log in to our GoGold Online Platform for submission. Proposals are reviewed by our volunteer committee, after which girls receive an approval or addendum request via email.

Once we receive the proposal, the Highest Award and Scholarship Committee will review it. If an addendum is needed, you will receive an email from goldawardprojects@girlscoutsnyc.org with the changes needed—girls have one week to fulfill addendum request. If no addendums are needed, girls will receive a letter of approval and may start to implement their Take Action Project.

4. Start the Take Action Project

Girls implement an 80-hour (minimum) service project that will have a great impact on their community. Click here to check out some real project ideas by New York City Gold Award Girl Scouts!

5. Prepare the Final Report for Submission

Girls must complete the Gold Award Final Report Form in its entirety.

Through this leadership experience, Girl Scouts will gain specific skills, including content knowledge of their cause, develop values, and discover what they stand for. It is important that their final report reflects the person they’ve become through their leadership journey.

All Final Report submissions must:

Be presented in a binder
Be typed or written in neat, legible penmanship (please check proper grammar and spelling)
Have all questions answered in a separate Word document
Include leader or advisor signatures
Include a tallied time log
Contain supporting documentation such as pictures, links to websites/blogs, screenshots of social media posts, copies of flyers, surveys, or notes, and anything else that helps communicate the Girl Scout's story and accomplishments.

This is the first leadership portfolio for most girls and it should be presented with pride because it illustrates who they are.

6. Submit your Final Report via GoGold Online Platform

Submit your Gold Award Final Project Report through our GoGold Online Platform.

Projects are reviewed by our volunteer committee, after which girls receive an approval or addendum letter.

Downloads Available

Special Note to Leaders:

Once your Girl Scouts have completed their Gold Award Project, add their projects to the GSUSA Girl Changing the World Map.

FREE access to CollegeLab

Benefit from artificial intelligence and expert insight to manage the college admissions process and improve your chances of acceptance!

LEARN MORE

For more information, email customercare@girlscoutsnyc.org.

You're invited to join the world of Girl Scouts! Join Us

Keep her engaged and inspired in challenging times. Renew Now.