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

How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award

Take the self-paced online training located in gsLearn, you can fill out our form to request Older Girl access to gsLearn. Troops or Service Units can also request a thirty to sixty-minute Q&A session to brainstorm ideas and answer questions only after the Girl Scouts have completed the online training. The Training by Request form can be found HERE.

Find an issue that you care about (in your community, or out in the world).

Learn everything you can about that issue through research and trusted sources.

Think about the root cause of an issue, then make a plan of how you could tackle it.

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.

Create an account with Go Gold: This is the platform where you will fill out and submit your project proposal and your final project report.

Fill out and submit your project proposal with Go Gold for feedback and approval before beginning the work on your project. You will receive feedback within three weeks. A maximum of 20 hours of research and planning can be completed before your proposal is approved. Any hours over the twenty allowed will not count towards the 80 hours required.

After you review the feedback regarding your proposal, lead your team and carry out your plan. Submit your final project report on the Go Gold platform.

Reflect on the change you’ve created in your community and the world, share your story, and inspire others to make a difference, too.

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

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)

Gold Award Project Proposal Rubric (PDF)
GoGold platform FAQs (PDF)
Guide for Leadership Experience (PDF)
GSHCC Go Gold Grant Application (Wufoo Form)

Highest Award Prerequisites & FAQ

Leadership Awards

Celebrate all the ways you lead–yourself, your team, and your community–with new and updated leadership awards.

LEARN MORE

Highest Award FAQ

Going for your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award? Get answers to the most common questions to get started.

LEARN MORE

Scholarship Information

Girl Scouts Heart of Central California (GSHCC) is proud to offer three scholarship opportunities to graduating girls who have earned their Girl Scout Gold Award. These scholarships are cultivated by GSHCC to support Gold Award Girl Scouts in pursuing continued education. Girl Scouts can apply the scholarship to two-year or four-year programs. Visit the application pages for more detailed information on the requirements for each scholarship. Paper applications will not be accepted. The due date for all scholarships is typically in April.

Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Board of Directors’ Gold Award Scholarship toggle arrow

The Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Board of Directors’ Gold Award Scholarship is awarded to a GSHCC Gold Award Girl Scout who, through their Gold Award Project, directly impacts their community by addressing a social justice or mental health issue. This scholarship is looking for projects within all aspects of social justice, with a special emphasis on those that focus on equity and belonging within our communities, as well as projects pertaining to mental health. This $3,500 scholarship is made possible through generous donations from the GSHCC Board of Directors. This is a one-time scholarship.

Kristin Anne Chapman-Elbon Memorial STEM Scholarship toggle arrow

The Kristin Anne Chapman-Elbon Memorial STEM Scholarship is for a Gold Award Girl Scout who will pursue an education in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering and math). The recipient of this scholarship will receive $2,500 every year for four years, contingent on continued enrollment in an institution of higher education. This scholarship was made possible through a generous donation from the Kristin Anne Chapman-Elbon Memorial STEM Scholarship Fund.

Go Gold Scholarship toggle arrow

The Go Gold Scholarship is offered through GSHCC, and any graduating Gold Award earner may apply for the $2,500 scholarship. This is a one-time scholarship.

National Opportunities for Gold Award Scholarships toggle arrow

Join a century of women who have done big things. Learn more about Gold Award Scholarships, the history of the Gold Award, and the benefits of going Gold.

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 to get started today.