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.
Earn a $5,000 GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship. Applications are open March 13 through April 14.
APPLY NOWThe Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable - proof that not only can she make a difference, but also that she already has.
Seniors and Ambassadors who earn the Gold Award tackle issues that they care about and help make a difference in their communities and beyond. Think of the Gold Award as a key that can open doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college, and amazing career opportunities!
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.
Girl Scouts must submit their Gold Award Project Proposal no later than July 1 of the year they graduate 12th grade (i.e. the summer after graduating high school). They must complete their Gold Award projects and submit their final report no later than September 30 of that same year (i.e. the fall after graduating high school). Forms must be submitted via the GoGold platform with the approval of a GSSJC Gold Award Mentor.
Learn more about how to create your Gold Award project - read our council's Project Guide.
Notice: Find all the most up-to-date Gold Award and Take Action information—including tips and tricks, what to expect, upcoming trainings, how to celebrate, and more—at GSSJC’s Highest Awards Online Community.
We have new prerequisite opportunities! Journeys will be retired on October 1, 2026. In their place, Girl Scouts is launching new Leadership Awards for Juniors through Ambassadors. Learn more.
**If you have currently completed or are in the process of a Journey, that Journey will be accepted as a prerequisite for a Highest Award until September 30, 2026.**
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.
The Gold Award process is on an online platform. To start, register for your GoGold Online account. This is the first step in writing your Gold Award Project Proposal. Please remember to contact your Gold Award mentor and work with her on your project proposal before you submit your application to the council.
