Gold Award

Change the world, Girl Scout

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 solve a problem in their community or make a lasting change in their world.

Seniors and Ambassadors who want to go for the Gold Award build a team of trusted adults, peers, and leaders in their community to guide them through challenges and support their success.

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.

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

ambassador high school girl scout wearing sash outside against green background

Become a Gold Award Girl Scout

Ready to change the world, for good?

GET STARTED

How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award

Let our council know you want to earn it; email gsgoldaward.gsccc@gmail.com.
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.
Submit your project proposal to gsgoldaward.gsccc@gmail.com for approval.
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, too.

Resources

Your Guide to Going Gold (PDF)
Gold Award Project Proposal (PDF)
Gold Award Final Report (PDF)
Gold Award Guide for Leaders (PDF)
Gold Award Guide for Adults (PDF)
Gold Award Guide for Project Advisors (PDF)

Highest Award Prerequisites & FAQ

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To earn this unique award, Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors tackle issues dear to them and drive lasting change in their communities and beyond.

First, complete the Girl Scout Gold Award prerequisites by earning the Girl Scout Silver Award, or one of the Senior/Ambassador Leadership Awards.

Then, start thinking about how you would like to lead a team in making the world a better place. If you have questions along the way, contact GSCCC’s Highest Awards Committee at gsgoldaward.gsccc@gmail.com.

All girls going for their Gold Award are required to view the recorded informational session posted to be assigned a mentor from the committee. A mentor is not the project adviser nor on the Gold Award team; they are there to help navigate and explain the process and the national standards. All girls are required to check in a minimum of once per month with their assigned mentor.

Get Going

Thoroughly read Your Guide to Going Gold and create an account in the Go Gold App . In the app, you’ll be able to access the proposal with all the links so you can view in total. Also in the app, there is a section for council-specific documents. This is where you will add your letters for permission and sustainability and complete and attach your Money-Earning Activity Request Form (if you need to earn money to fund your project or if you are asking for donations of items; note this form is specifically for Highest Awards only). Participation in both the Cookie Program and the Fall Product Program is a requirement for approval of any money-earning activity.

Tip: Put an “x” in each question so you can move through the proposal. You can then go back and fill in each answer before you hit submit. Please note that there will be a box that pops up in each question with numbers. These numbers are the minimum and maximum number of words you should have in your answer for each question.

Things to Consider When Planning

Five Key Elements of the Gold Award: The Girl Scout Gold Award is a Take Action project that must include five elements. Your project must:

(1) Address a root cause of an issue that you feel passionate about that has a (2) national and/or global link. Through your actions, you must demonstrate (3) leadership while also creating (4) sustainable and (5) measurable impact.

Please do research on the topic and its root cause, the issue you have identified and your solution. Identify a community partner during your research phase. Do not create a project and then look for a community partner who will accept your project. Find a community partner who is already taking steps in the topic of the issue you are passionate about solving, and ask them what they need to further the cause.

Gold Award Projects are a minimum of 80 hours with most projects coming in over 100 hours. On the time log in your proposal you will need to list your full project plan in steps. Estimate how much time each step will take you; in your final report you will list the actual work done and hours spent.

You will need a project adviser who is an expert in the topic of the issue you are solving. This person may not be your Troop Leader, nor a close relative such as a parent or grandparent. Your project adviser is the person you will go to for questions and advice on your topic. Their job is to make sure any information or education you are promoting with your project is accurate. For example: If you are solving the problem of dying ducks, you would have a project adviser who works with the environment, such as a teacher at your school or your city’s environmental engineer; it would not be someone who works in wildlife rescue, because the root cause of the problem you are solving is pollution. If you are writing a book, your project adviser would not be your English teacher (though they would be great as one of your team members); you would need an expert on the topic of your book, not someone who knows how to write a book.

The members of your Gold Award Team are people whom you lead as you implement your Gold Award Project plan of action. You will need three members on your team to start, but your team will likely grow as your project progresses. Your project adviser is not listed as one of the three required nor are your family members or fellow Girl Scouts. Though both your fellow Girl Scouts and family may be on your team they do not count toward the three required. These will be people who are also passionate about your topic and want to work alongside you to solve the issue your project is addressing. Your mentor from the Gold Award Committee is not on your team.

Submitting Your Proposal

Once you complete the proposal in the Go Gold App, you’ll send it to your adviser and troop leader for their electronic signatures. Please let them know to watch for that email coming to them. (Note that your troop leader will not see your proposal, as they are only asked to sign off on your prerequisites.)

Once they receive it via email, they will click the link to acknowledge that they are signing off on proposal/prerequisites; you will then receive a confirmation email. At that time, you need to go back into the Go Gold App and hit the submit button again. Once you do that, the proposal will be sent to the GSCCC Highest Awards Committee. Please check the deadline dates listed under “Highest Awards Committee Meeting Dates” below.

Review Process

When the committee has received your proposal via the Go Gold App and its attachments, they will review it and let you know if you have been granted an interview or if your project needs further development. If it is the latter, you will be referred back to your assigned mentor who will work with you to understand the committee’s feedback.

Do not begin working on your project until you have been interviewed by the committee and they have given you approval to start.

Mentoring

Each girl who attends a Gold Award info session may request to be assigned a mentor from the committee to work with them throughout their Gold Award journey. A mentor from the committee is not your project adviser, nor is she on your Gold Award Team. She is there to help you understand the Gold Award standards and navigate the process.

Steps to having a mentor assigned to you:

Attend one of the monthly Gold Award information sessions. Leaders and/or caregivers may attend with you.
Email the committee at gsgoldaward.gsccc@gmail.com and let them know you are ready to meet with a member to start the process of earning your Girl Scout Gold Award.
You will receive a response email with an offer to have a virtual one-on-one meeting. The meeting will help to determine what help you need from the committee and which of the members you will be assigned to work with. You will discuss project ideas if you have any or if you are on square one and have no idea how to find a community partner or a project to solve a problem. Your leader or caregiver may attend this meeting with you.
Once you have been assigned a mentor it is critical that you communicate with them. Your first meeting is required to be a virtual meeting. Your caregiver or leader may attend this meeting with you. Your mentor will work with you to decide the best method for communicating. All meetings will be virtual and you will work via email with follow-ups to conversations and action items. Some mentors also ask that you communicate via text messages. If you do not respond to your mentor for three months in a row you will be dropped from their monthly contacts. If you decide to continue to pursue your Gold Award after that, you will need to reach out to the committee again via email to request a reassignment and you will be assigned to a new mentor at that time.

The key to success is to read (and reread!) Your Guide to Going Gold. This resource goes over each element of the project and explains everything you need to know in detail. When in doubt, consult the guide!

The Highest Awards Committee uses a national rubric to evaluate each project to ensure it meets the standards set by GSUSA.

We know that each girl is unique, and her Gold Award Project is unique to her, so we will only discuss individual projects with the girl. But we are happy to answer general questions at any time for adults who are working with girls going for Gold!

Anyone may email the GSCCC Highest Awards Committee at gsgoldaward.gsccc@gmail.com.

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All final paperwork and any supporting documentation must be completed and submitted by September 30th following your 12th grade year. When you are ready to complete your Girl Scout Gold Award final report, do so using the Go Gold App with the account you set up. Refer back to your project proposal and any amendments (this includes emails) that were made prior to your project approval date, as well as any changes that the committee approved.

NOTE: The Go Gold final report will have wording from your original proposal filled in to certain sections. You must delete all of the past tense wording of what you planned to do and fill in what you actually accomplished. Not completing the report with current present tense information will cause your final report to be rejected and possibly delay your being scheduled for the final show and tell review with the committee.

Provide as many details as possible and be sure to attach ALL supporting documents:

Website URL, Facebook links, YouTube links, etc. (if you created any)
Copy of video(s) (if you created any)
Copy of handouts, flyers, brochures, promotional materials, how-to manuals
Copy of lesson plans or curriculum (if you created any)
Copies of photos showing all aspects of your project as it progressed. Submit the photos in the attachment section of the Go Gold App. Label all photos to tell the journey of your Gold Award Project.
Include any articles in bulletins or newspapers
A currently-dated copy of your letter of proof of sustainability of your project from your community partner
Copies of all expense receipts and income details

In addition to the above list, you will need to submit a signed agreement to the Highest Awards Committee stating you understand that you need to have a one-minute video of yourself, made by GSCCC staff on one of the scheduled appointment times, wearing a plain white shirt with your Girl Scout vest or sash, talking about your project. This will be shown at the annual Gold Award celebration and it is required as part of your final report.

Once you have submitted your final report to the Highest Awards Committee using the Go Gold App, you will receive an email within 7 days from the committee to schedule your virtual final review. Be prepared to share your full experience, including the highs and lows of your project. Final review dates are listed under “Highest Awards Committee Meeting Dates” below and are by appointment only.

You may email the GSCCC Highest Awards Committee any time at gsgoldaward.gsccc@gmail.com.

The video below is a sample of how to present your final report to the Council Gold Award Committee during your show and tell meeting.

2026 Gold Award Girl Scout Videos toggle arrow

2026 Scholarship Recipients toggle arrow

2026 GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship Recipient
Gold Award Girl Scout Marley F.

Girl Scouts of the USA Gold Award Scholarship: Girl Scout councils may nominate one of their Gold Award Girl Scouts to receive an academic scholarship from GSUSA. GSCCC’s Gold Award Committee and CEO are involved in the final selection and make the nomination.

2026 GSCCC Gold Award Scholarship Recipients
Gold Award Girl Scouts Lana J. and Nomi R.

These finalists for GSUSA’s 2026 National Gold Award Girl Scout Scholarship Program were awarded a special scholarship thanks to the generosity of passionate Girl Scout alums and former board members in our council.

2026 She Believes She Can, So She Does Scholarship
Girl Scouts Caitlin W. and Julia W.

The She Believes She Can, So She Does scholarship supports girls pursuing higher education opportunities, including vocational training and undergraduate education. The scholarship was launched by Girl Scout alum Kate Godby in 2019.

2026 Maylea Brockington Beasley Love & Laughter Scholarship
Gold Award Girl Scout Lana J.

Maylea was a member of Girl Scout Troop 475 and a Gold Award Girl Scout. Maylea lost her life in a tragic accident when she was struck by a motorcyclist while attending James Madison University. It was her family’s wish to recognize a Gold Award Girl Scout with a scholarship as a way to honor Maylea’s commitment to making the world a better place. Her troop friends recall how she brought sunshine and laughter wherever she was and had the ability to spread kindness to all.

2026 Girl Scouts of Courage, Confidence, and Character Scholarship
Girl Scout Zoe F.

Helen Kattwinkel Lifetime Membership Award

The Helen Kattwinkel Endowment Fund was established in 2016 in honor of longtime Girl Scout Gold Award champion Helen Kattwinkel. Each year, a lifetime membership is presented to select Girl Scouts.

In 2026, each graduating Gold Award Girl Scout received a Girl Scout lifetime membership thanks to the Helen Kattwinkel Lifetime Membership Endowment.

Exclusive Gold Award Girl Scout Scholarships

Gold Award Girl Scouts who are interested in pursuing a STEM or cybersecurity degree can apply for the eGirl Power Gold Award Scholarship of up to $1,000 towards their education.

The VFW Scout of the Year Award recognizes standout citizenship, patriotism and love of country. In 2025, VFW Post 2894 recognized Gold Award Girl Scout Justina W.

Learn more about other local scholarship opportunities.

Girl Scout Gold Award Committee Meeting Dates toggle arrow

2026-27 Girl Scout Gold Award Committee Meeting Dates for Virtual Presentations of Project Proposals and/or Project Final Reports

Deadline to submit proposals and/or final reports for consideration to be invited to present is two weeks prior to committee’s meeting date you wish to attend.

Please email the committee at gsgoldaward.gsccc@gmail.com with any questions.

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026
Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2026
Thursday, Jan. 7, 2027
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2027
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2027
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2027
Wednesday Mar. 10, 2027
Thursday, Mar. 25, 2027

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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.

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