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

Gold Award Girl Scout smiling next to community partner

Become a Gold Award Girl Scout

Ready to change the world, for good?

GET STARTED

How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award

Complete the GSUSA National Gold Award Training For Youth

Taking this required training will teach you everything you need to know to get started on your Gold Award Journey! National Gold Award Training for Youth

Identify an Issue

Use your values and skills to choose a community issue that you care about.

Thoroughly Investigate Your Issue

Use your sleuthing skills to learn everything you can about the issue you've identified.

Have you set up your account in GoGold yet? It can help you investigate your issue and find resources. It’s also a great tool for keeping everything in one place!

Get Help and Build Your Team

Form a team to support your efforts and help you Take Action. Keep these tips in mind:

Your Project Advisor should be a subject matter expert and can’t be a Troop Leader or parent.
You should aim for at least 3-5 team members with skills and knowledge related to your issue, beyond your Girl Scout community and family.

Create a Plan

Identify the root cause of your issue, and then create a plan to tackle it.

Present Your Plan and Gather Feedback

Submit your Project Proposal Form to the Girl Scout Gold Award Committee for approval.

Your Guide to Going Gold

Gold Award Proposal Rubric

Project Timeline

gsLearn Course | GSUSA How To Support a Gold Award Girl Scout

Calling all troop leaders, parents/caregivers, project advisors, and supportive adults! Get ready to support the Seniors and Ambassadors in your life pursuing the Gold Award, the highest Award in Girl Scouting. Unlock the benefits, basic project elements, the Gold Award process, real project examples and your role as a supportive adult. You'll leave inspired to encourage Girl Scouts to earn the Gold Award! Log into gsLearn and search for this course! Plan on it taking around 20 minutes.

Resources

Highest Award Prerequisites

Leadership Awards

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

Highest Awards FAQs

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

Gold Award Guide for Leaders

Gold Award Guide for Adults

By the time you put the final touches on your project, you'll have solved a community problem—not only in the short term, but for years to come! And even more, you’ll be eligible for college scholarships.

Download the Gold Award Proposal Rubric

Download Girl Scout Gold Award Resources

Our local Gold Award Girl Scouts are changing the world! Take a look at our 2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts and be inspired to change your community today.

Our Gold Award Committee is accepting applications!

Leaders or Gold Award Girl Scouts: interested in mentoring and guiding an older girl as she pursues the highest award a Girl Scout can earn? Complete the Gold Award Committee Interest form here.

Parents, Troop Leaders and Project Advisors

There are resources available for adults and volunteers who want to help Girl Scouts pursue their Gold Award!

GSUSA Gold Award Guide for Adults

GSUSA Gold Award Guide for Leaders

GSUSA Gold Award Guide for Project Advisors

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. Once achieved, it shows colleges, employers, and your community that you’re capable of changing the world.

Before You Start Your Gold Award Proposal toggle arrow

Complete the GSUSA National Gold Award Training for Youth

Taking this required training will teach you everything you need to know to get started on your Gold Award Journey! National Gold Award Training for Youth

Girl Scout Gold Award Proposal Jumpstart

Once you have completed the GSUSA National Gold Award Training for Youth, take a deep dive into the Gold Award Proposal process by registering for a Girl Scout Gold Award Proposal Jumpstart. This in-person or virtual workshop is the perfect place to really dig into the Gold Award, get practical help, and ask questions!

Each workshop is facilitated by the Program Director and/or a Gold Award Coach. These optional workshops are designed to provide a hands-on experience as you get ready to go Gold. There will be an overview of important concepts learned in the National Gold Award Training for Youth, and real-world examples of building a proposal and editing it to be ready for approval by using the Guide to Going Gold, the Gold Award Proposal Rubric, and GoGold. Participants will also learn skills in community outreach, interview skills, and letter/email writing. Come ready with project ideas and questions!

Workshops are hosted throughout the year across our footprint and virtually. Visit the Activities tab to register for an upcoming workshop.

Girl Scouts pursuing the Girl Scout Gold Award are required to complete the GSUSA National Gold Award Training for Youth National Gold Award Training for Youth, but the workshop is optional.

Your Guide to Going Gold

Need help telling the difference between community service and Take Action Project, or need a better understanding of how to build your team? Have questions about money-earning or grant writing? Need a checklist to be sure you’ve completed all the requirements? Your Guide to Going Gold is the resource you need to take you step-by-step through the Gold Award process, from writing a winning proposal to submitting a Gold-worthy final report.

Your Guide to Going Gold complements the Gold Award Orientation and the Gold Award Workshop, which is why you’ll receive a copy when you attend the Workshop. You can also download a copy to preview from this page!

Girl Scout Gold Award Proposal Rubric

The NEW Gold Award Proposal Rubric is a tool created by GSUSA to convey nationally consistent criteria for proposal review and approval. Use it as you build your Gold Award proposal to ensure that you meet the standards of a Gold Award Take Action Project. Your Gold Award Committee Liaison will share your proposal’s rubric scoring from the committee meeting to help you create the best possible project.

GSUSA Girl Scout Gold Award YouTube Videos

In these new videos, the 2019 National Gold Award Girl Scouts speak directly to other Girl Scouts, sharing best practices and focusing on how they actually earned their Gold Awards. You can find all these videos on GSUSA's Go For the Gold YouTube page.

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Get Ready, Get Set….

So you’ve completed your online GSUSA National Gold Award Training for Youth and possibly taken advantage of the opportunity to attend a live Gold Award Proposal Jumpstart workshop and now you’re ready to begin your journey towards Gold? That’s awesome!

First, you’ll need to set up your GoGold account. GoGold is where you’ll find resources, documents, council forms, and the Girl Scout Gold Award took kit that includes tips for going Gold, planning guides, and best practices to guide you through each step of your Gold Award.

GoGold even provides you with resources to help you stay organized and keep everything in one place! GoGold is easy to navigate and helps girls efficiently and effectively capture their Take Action Project, which is why all Girl Scout Gold Award proposals must be submitted via GoGold.

Get started at GoGold. Be sure you have the following information handy to set up your account:

· Make sure you use YOUR email, not your parent’s or troop leader’s. Also, consider using an address other than your school email address since your project’s life to go beyond graduation day.

· Information about your Gold Award prerequisite. If you earned your Girl Scout Silver Award, have the information about your project and when you earned it on hand. If not, you will need to have completed a Senior/Ambassador Leadership Award or Journey and have information on when it was completed.

· Troop leader’s contact information. If you’re a Juliette (individually registered Girl Scout) you’ll need a parent’s or your Juliette mentor’s email address.

Once you have completed the GSUSA Gold Award Training for Youth and created a GoGold account, the Program Director for Highest Awards will reach out to you for more information about your project ideas and pair you with a Gold Award Coach. A Gold Award Coach is a volunteer who is an expert on the Gold Award and will partner with you throughout the rest of your Gold Award journey. Your Gold Award coach and you will craft your proposal and decide together when it is complete and ready to approve.

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Hit a Roadblock?

The expertise of the Gold Award committee is just a phone call away! Take advantage of our virtual office hours at your convenience. Virtual office hours are a unique opportunity for girls (as well as parent/caregivers) to call in and get their questions answered by a member of the Girl Scout Gold Award Committee or council staff. Email girlawards@nccoastalpines.org to request a 15-minute time slot to discuss your project with the Program Director or a Gold Award Committee member.

GSUSA Girl Scout Gold Award YouTube Videos

In these videos, the 2019 National Gold Award Girl Scouts speak directly to other Girl Scouts, sharing best practices and focusing on how they actually earned their Gold Awards. You can find all these videos on GSUSA’s Go For the Gold YouTube page.

Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines is committed to ensuring that girls of all abilities are able to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Please email girlawards@nccoastalpines.org to request reasonable accommodations.

Forms

GS-NCCP does not accept paper Girl Scout Gold Award Proposals.
All proposal submissions must be completed using the GoGold Online platform.

The Gold Award Proposal form lists the questions that will need to be answered in Go Gold. As you plan your project, please ensure that you are able to answer these questions. Take notes and craft your answers before you enter them in Go Gold.

All of these forms are available in GoGold:

Parent/Caregiver Information Form
Proposed Gold Award Project Budget Planning Guide
Girl Scout Gold Award Project Funding Agreement Form
Girl Scout Gold Award Receipt of Contribution Form
Parent/Caregiver Information Form
Proposed Gold Award Project Budget Planning Guide
Girl Scout Gold Award Project Funding Agreement Form

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Benefits of Going Gold

The Benefits of Becoming a Gold Award Girl Scout

When you become a Gold Award Girl Scout, you delve deep into your passions, flex your problem-solving muscle, stand up for what you believe in, inspire others, and make a difference. It’s an opportunity to do something more and to set your sights on true leadership. Here are a few other reasons to Go Gold:

Grow professional skills. Gold Award Girl Scouts become pros in team building, problem solving, project planning, and time management. These are invaluable skills that all professionals need - and all people value. You can highlight these experiences as you apply to schools, jobs, internships, and other opportunities.

Earn scholarships. Many universities and colleges award scholarships to Gold Award Girl Scouts.

The GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship is awarded annually to one Girl Scout from each council. Applications are accepted through GoGold for girls who have earned their Gold Award between the previous April 1 and March 31.
Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines offers scholarship opportunities that you can read about here.
Visit GSUSA’s Scholarship webpage for more suggestions.

Build your network. Gold Award Girl Scouts recruit and lead teams to do amazing things! This experience will give you a network of supporters that lasts a lifetime

Enlist at a higher pay grade when you join the military.

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As a Gold Award Girl Scout, you're part of an elite group.

Starting in 1916, the best and brightest have undertaken projects to improve their communities—and the world. The Golden Eaglet insignia, the highest award in Girl Scouts from 1916 to 1939, marked the beginning of a long tradition of recognizing the extraordinary efforts of extraordinary girls. From 1940 to 1963, the Curved Bar Award was the highest honor in Girl Scouts. From 1963 to 1980, the highest award was called First Class. And since 1980, the Gold Award has inspired Girl Scouts to find the greatness inside themselves and share their ideas and passions with their communities.

Over 100 years later, Girl Scouts continue to make a difference in their communities and the world. Looking for inspiration? Meet our 2022 Gold Award Girl Scouts.

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Some Ways To Go Above and Beyond

Apply for the GSUSA Gold Award Scholarship, which is awarded annually to one Girl Scout from each council. Applications are accepted through GoGold for girls who have earned their Gold Award between the previous April 1 and March 31.
Power your service project with a grant from Youth Service America
Share your own story to let people know how you’re making a difference! Girl Scouts of the USA’s Map It: Girls Changing the World

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The Girl Scout Gold Award is girl led! As the “project manager,” each Gold Award Candidate brings her own unique skills and aspirations to the Gold Award experience.

But there are a lot of different people who participate in and contribute to a Girl Scout’s Gold Award Take Action Project in various ways. Many hands make light work! Here are some ways troop leaders and parents can help their Girl Scout earn her Gold Award:

Be a coach, cheerleader, and sounding board
Help brainstorm ideas for the project, team members, funding, and implementation.
Foster networking, collaboration, and communication with the community. Be an advocate for your Girl Scout and help make introductions if needed.
Encourage regular communication with the Gold Award Committee Liaison.
Parents and troop leaders should NOT make phone calls, send emails, or make decisions for their Girl Scout.
Proof-read the Gold Award proposal or final report, but don’t write it!
Join the team and help make your Girl Scout’s Take Action Project a success!

Check out these resources for adults and volunteers who want to help Girl Scouts pursue their Gold Award:

GSUSA Gold Award Guide for Adults

GSUSA Gold Award Guide for Leaders

GSUSA Gold Award Guide for Project Advisors

Our Gold Award Committee is accepting applications!

Leaders or Gold Award Girl Scouts: interested in mentoring and guiding an older girl as she pursues the highest award a Girl Scout can earn? Complete the Gold Award Committee Interest form here.