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, a Senior/Ambassador Leadership Award, or a Senior/Ambassador Journey
How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award
- Let our council know you want to earn it.
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 our Girl Scout council 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.
Highest Award Prerequisites
Helpful Extras
- Parent/Guardian Guide - Spanish (PDF)
- How to Support a Gold Award Girl Scout gsLearn Training (Optional Adult Training)
- GoGold Experience (PDF)
- Communication to Advisors Template (PDF)
- FAQs (PDF)
- Community Mapping Activity (PDF)
- Press Kit for Highest Awards (PDF)
- School Partner Toolkit (PDF)
- Project Ideas (PDF)
- Highest Awards Project Partner Directory (PDF)
- Highest Awards & AI: Be Smart, Be Safe, Be You
- Greeting Card (PDF)
- Gold Award Announcement Template (PDF)
- Guide to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (PDF)
- Event Planning Checklist (PDF)
- Take Action Guide (PDF)
Girl Scouts going for the Gold must receive council approval at two occasions:
- Project Proposal – submit in GoGold at least 3 weeks prior to the project’s tentative start date
- Final Report – submit in GoGold after project completion (but no later than Sept. 30 after high school graduation)
Upon submission, council staff will connect the Girl Scout with a Highest Awards Committee member to gain council approval through email, text messages, phone calls, video calls, and/or in-person meetings. If you wish to connect with someone prior to submitting a Project Proposal, simply contact us at 800-565-4475 or customercare@gswise.org to be connected earlier in the process.
Gold Award Scholarships
Having the Girl Scout Gold Award on your high school resume can make you stand out when it comes to college admissions, internships, job interviews, and scholarship applications, like the GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship (and many others)!
Current Scholarship Opportunities:
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design 
Milwaukee School of Engineering
GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship
Scholarships for Girl Scouts
Gold Award Training
Gold Award training is required. View this virtual training or register for in-person training in MyGS.
VIEW TRAINING
Expanded Paths to Highest Awards
Bronze leads to Silver, and Silver to Gold! Or complete one Leadership Award or Journey (before Journeys retire in Oct. 2026) to get started.
LEARN MORECelebrate the changemaking Girl Scout in your life!
Send them an e-card with a personalized message congratulating them on their huge accomplishment! Select a card below to get started.
They earned it - so can you!
