CEO Melanie and Board Chair Kavita pose with a Gold Award Girl Scout

2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts

Congrats to these Girl Scouts for earning their Gold Awards! Learn more about their amazing projects here.

LEARN MORE

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 help address an issue in their community and make a lasting change in their world. And every Girl Scout has what it takes to earn the Gold Award. Girl Scouts who want to earn the Gold Award will build a team of trusted adults, community leaders and peers who will support them through challenges and cheer on their successes each step of the way. There’s no other program like it.

Plus? 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)!

Gold Award Prerequisites

You can start your journey to becoming a Gold Award Girl Scout if you:

Are a registered Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador (current 9th-12th grade)

Have earned the Silver Award or a Girl Scout Leadership Award

Complete the online Gold Award Training

Get Started

Download the Your Guide to Going Gold and read through this resource for a comprehensive overview of everything from planning to proposals and teamwork to time logs. Then follow the steps below to begin earning your Gold Award.

Get the Guide

How to Become a Gold Award Girl Scout

Get Ready (Phase 0) toggle arrow

Earn a prerequisite award: Silver Award or a Girl Scout Leadership Award
Complete the Gold Award Training here.
Create a GoGold Account to start your journey.

Coaching

Once you create an account and complete the training, you will be paired with a coach that meets your needs.
The coach will be able to call or email you to schedule a time to meet. This might be in-person or virtual.
You will meet on a regular basis at least once a month. You can both decide if you want and need to meet more often.
Your coach can help you with the process of going through the steps.

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Once you create a GoGold account, with the help of your coach, you will decide on an issue that you want to address. You will go through Steps 1-4 in GoGold to build a plan for your project.
- If you would like to do your project on a council property, you will need to get approval from council staff prior to creating your proposal.
When you get to Step 5 in the GoGold process, you will schedule a presentation to present your proposal. You can look at our calendar of events and schedule a time. The presentation will be a virtual meeting with you, your coach, and a member of the council staff. All presentation meetings are held virtually, via Microsoft Teams Meetings.
The March Presentation Meeting will be the last meeting where girls can receive approval on their Gold Award Final Reports before the March 31 deadline to participate in the annual Highest Awards Ceremony.
The council staff will decide if the proposal is approved.

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After the council approves your proposal, it is time to Take Action! During Step 6 in GoGold, your coach will help you with understanding how to log hours, track income/expenses, and help manage situations as they arise.

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The final step is here! Step 7 in GoGold is reporting your Final Project. You will schedule a presentation to present your proposal. You can look at our calendar of events and schedule a time. The presentation will be a virtual meeting with you, your coach, and a member of the council staff.
The council staff will decide if the proposal is approved.
Congratulations! You are now a Gold Award Girl Scout! Make plans to attend the Highest Award Ceremony on May 2.
If you are a high school senior, apply to council scholarships. If you are a high school senior or a freshman in college, you can apply to the $5,000 GSUSA scholarship.

Meet the Gold Award Coaches

Interested in becoming a Gold Award Coach?

Gold Award Coaches provide guidance, encouragement, and support to Girl Scouts as they work toward the highest award in Girl Scouting. If you enjoy mentoring teens and helping girls turn their ideas into meaningful, sustainable projects, this role may be a great fit for you.

Coach Prerequisites

Be a registered and approved Girl Scout volunteer.
Complete Gold Award Coach training.
Commit to supporting a Girl Scout throughout her Gold Award journey.
Support girl-led decision-making and leadership.
Serve as a mentor and guide, not the project manager.
Communicate in a positive, respectful, and encouraging manner.
Experienced in the Gold Award process and expectations, or willing to learn.

Fill out the interest form to get started.

Hey, grownups!

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 below to get started today.

Gold Award Guide for Adults

Gold Award Guide for Leaders

Gold Award Guide for Project Advisors

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