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

Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts is committed to supporting all Girl Scouts who are interested in earning their Highest Awards. If there are any accessibility factors, accommodations, or supports that we can provide, please let us know.

How to Earn the Girl Scout Gold Award

Complete a GSEMA online Gold Award Orientation.
Identify an issue in your community or the world that matters to you.
Research the issue using trusted sources.
Build a team of experts and community members who can help.
Identify the root cause of an issue and develop a plan to address it.
Attend a Gold Award Proposal Writing Workshop (strongly encouraged)
Submit your project proposal for approval through GoGold Online. Use the proposal rubric and Budget Your Time chart to guide your planning.
Meet with your assigned Gold Award Committee Advisor to review feedback and discuss next steps. Do not begin your project until after this meeting.
Lead your team and put your plan into action.
Reflect on your impact, share your story, and inspire others to make a difference.
Complete your final report in GoGold and celebrate!

Gold Award Guidelines

Gold Award Orientation

Meet the 2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Reaching Your Goals

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Proposals must be submitted in GoGold by day 15 of each month. Proposals are reviewed on a monthly basis by the Gold Award Committee, then feedback is sent to the candidate within three weeks of the deadline. Be sure to leave time for your troop leader/ caregiver and project advisor’s approval prior to submitting.
Your final opportunity to submit a proposal is September 15 of your graduating year.
Final reports must be submitted by September 30 after you have graduated from high school. Be sure to leave time for your Project Advisor and Gold Award Committee Advisor to confirm they approve your final report.
If you want to be recognized at GSEMA's annual Gold Award Celebration in the spring, the final project report must be submitted no later than March 31 of that year. Those submitting later will be recognized at the following year’s celebration.

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After your proposal’s deadline, the proposal will go through a review process with the Gold Award Committee. During this process, the committee reads your proposal to provide feedback. You will be invited to a virtual review meeting to answer questions and provide clarity about your project; attendance is optional. After the review process (approximately three weeks), you will receive your next steps from council, as well as be matched with your Gold Award Advisor. In the first meeting with your advisor, you will walk through your proposal and create your project plan, incorporating next steps.

Next steps may include:

Required changes to the project plan to qualify for the Gold Award (i.e. expanding community engagement, adding sustainability plans, reviewing money earning policy, etc.)
Recommended changes to increase effectiveness of the project (i.e. expanding team, improving measurements, etc.)

Resources

Gold Award Support Network

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The GSEMA Program team is committed to supporting you as you earn the Gold Award. You will receive support from the Program team while taking a Gold Award Orientation, submitting Gold Award Proposals and Final Reports, and giving final presentations, and sharing feedback to strengthen the Gold Award program for the future.

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The GSEMA Gold Award Committee members are Girl Scout volunteers who assist GSEMA’s Program team in reviewing and approving proposals, supporting girls as they complete their projects, and officiating the completion of projects. Committee members who support girls with their projects are Gold Award Advisors.

When pursuing the Gold Award, you will be assigned an Advisor to support you through your project. You will check-in monthly with your Advisor regarding project updates, and you can contact them when you need additional support. You will also review your Final Report with your Advisor before submission.

Interested supporting candidates as a Gold Award Committee Advisor? Learn more about this one-year commitment and apply today!

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Every Gold Award Girl Scout must identify and recruit a project content advisor (also called “project advisor”) for their project.
Who can be a project advisor? A project advisor is an adult who chooses to be on a Girl Scout’s Gold Award team and is an expert on the issue the girl’s project addresses. Parents, caregivers, or troop leaders of girls pursuing their Gold Award cannot be advisors. Adult siblings and family members like aunts and uncles can sometimes be advisors if they are experts on the issue the Girl Scout is exploring. However, we encourage Girl Scouts to branch outside of their families when possible.
What is the role of a project advisor? In contrast to the GSEMA assigned Gold Award Committee Advisor who assists with the Gold Award process and project management, a project advisor offers a Girl Scout guidance and expertise as needed on the subject matter specific to the project during the planning and execution of the Girl Scout's Gold Award project.

When You've Earned the Gold Award

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Now that you’ve earned the Gold Award—the highest award in Girl Scouting—did you know that you can apply for a scholarship for college? The GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship recognizes and provides financial support to one Gold Award Girl Scout per council.

In addition to receiving a scholarship, each recipient will receive an award letter and recognition in local and national Girl Scout promotions, including on www.girlscouts.org/goldawardclass.

You’re eligible to apply if you are a high school senior or graduate who earned the Gold Award between April 1, 2024-March 31, 2025 and have your final report on file and approved in GoGold. If you earned the Gold Award this year and you’re currently a high school sophomore or junior, plan to apply in your senior year! The application period is March 14-April 15, 2025. Applicants will be notified of their status in June 2025.

P.S. Gold Award Girl Scouts are also fantastic candidates for many other scholarships. Be sure to check out the GSUSA scholarship database.

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Upon earning the Gold Award, you join an elite group of more than 600 Gold Award Girl Scouts who have earned this award since 2008.

GSEMA requests Citations and Resolutions from the White House, Senators Warren and Markey, the Governor’s office and various other national organizations. We encourage you to request citations and resolutions from your local members of the Massachusetts State House and State Representative. A Gold Award pin and certificate from Girl Scouts of the USA is provided at our annual celebration in the spring (May/June). For those unable to attend, we will make arrangements for delivery of these recognitions.

You now have the opportunity to proudly claim your Gold Award digital credential from Credly, our verification partner! This credential is the digital equivalent of the Gold Award that you earned. You can share it on social media platforms, including LinkedIn so prospective employers, universities/colleges, military academies, and others will be able to verify your achievement by simply viewing your profile. In joining the ranks of credentialed Gold Award Girl Scouts on LinkedIn, you will also be spreading the word about the power and influence of your Girl Scout experience and how it has helped define the woman you are today. Request your Gold Award Girl Scout Digital Credential here.

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Each spring (May/June), Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts hosts a celebration to recognize Girl Scouts who have earned their Gold Award by March 31 of the celebration year. Our celebration for 2025 will be hosted at Camp Cedar Hill on May 18.

Additionally, many Gold Award Girl Scouts also celebrate with their local Girl Scout community. Girls and communities may request a GSEMA representative to present the Gold Award pin and certificates locally to a Gold Award Girl Scout. To request a GSEMA representative, please email customercare@gsema.org at least one month before the event.

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