Gold Award

Explore the completed projects by our 2025-2026 Gold Award Girl Scouts by downloading the In Your Honor Guide.

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

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

Gold Award

Get the guidelines and go to a Roundtable.

How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award

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 on GoGold. Upon council review, you will be assigned a liaison as your Gold Award mentor.

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.
Questions? Email goldaward@gsnetx.org.

Gold Award Scholarships toggle arrow

GSUSA scholarship, each council nominates one girl to receive

Allows GSUSA to recognize more girls for their Gold Award efforts
Girls must use the GoGold application in order to be considered
Amount may vary by year (currently $5,000).
Click here for more info and to apply.

Mary Anne Cree Young Women of Distinction

To apply, girls must complete their Gold Award by March 31 of current year
Girls must still be in high school to be selected
Speaking engagement requirements
$2500 scholarship and lifetime membership on graduation
Click here for more info and to apply.

Resource: How to write a scholarship thank-you letter

Gold-Award-Specific Scholarships

Toyota Scholarship Program (closes November 6, 2026)
Betty Richardson Scholarship, GSNETX
Lynn Wilbur Opportunity Scholarship (open through April 15)
The Melissa Comisar Scholarship
Community Foundation of West Texas (available to any girl who earned her Gold Award in Texas or Oklahoma)
Elks National Foundation Scholarship
Girl Scouts of the USA: Gold Award Scholarships
Texas Elks State Association

Additional scholarship opportunities are available below.

Resources

Gold Award Adult Guide (PDF)
Gold Award Troop Leader Guide (PDF)

Highest Award Prerequisites

Prerequisite Update

New prerequisite opportunities have been announced. While Journeys will officially be retired on October 1, 2026, in their place, Girl Scouts is launching fresh 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.**

Questions? Email goldaward@gsnetx.org.

Shop for gift for your Gold Award Girl Scout.

Leadership Awards

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

Journeys

Journeys encourage Girl Scouts of all ages to think critically, boost their problem-solving skills, and make an impact.

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

To get started, register for your GoGold Online account. This is the first step in creating your Gold Award Project Proposal.

Gold Award Roundtables

The first step towards Gold is submitting your award project proposal. Ask questions, get project feedback and more by attending a Gold Award Roundtable meeting hosted by our volunteer committee.

Gold Award Benefits toggle arrow

Gold Award Girl Scouts do well in life! They rate their general success significantly higher than their peers and report greater success in reaching their goals in many areas.

Higher Education and Career

Distinguish yourself in the college admissions process.
Earn college scholarships.
Enter the military one rank higher.

Life Skills

Be seen as a role model and distinguished leader.
Master time management skills.
Make the world a better place.

Community

Use your vision for change.
Tackle an issue, locally or globally.
Establish a lifetime network.
Create your community legacy with a sustainable solution to a problem.

Source: Girl Scouting Works: The Alumnae Impact Study, a report from the Girl Scout Research Institute, 2012

GoGold Online toggle arrow

Building your proposal and writing your final report has never been easier. GoGold will guide you along each of the seven project steps and auto-save your progress. GoGold can also be accessed on smartphones and tablets.

Please keep in mind that in addition to the project proposal and final report, GSNETX has a required supplemental form, which can be downloaded in Step 4, completed and uploaded within Step 5 of GoGold.

Project proposal paperwork is due on the 15th of each month and then reviewed at the Gold Award committee meeting on the first Thursday of the following month.

DO NOT wait to begin your proposal until the 15th of the month. There are verified electronic signatures required prior to submitting the proposal and you will need to give your troop leader enough time to verify your pre-requisites and your project advisor their commitment to working with you as an organizational representative or a subject matter expert.

No exceptions will be made if you miss the 15th of the month deadline.

Once your project has been reviewed, you will be assigned a Gold Award liaison who will contact you with the committee’s feedback, using the Gold Award rubric. Your Gold Award liaison will work with you until your project meets the standard requirements and then give you the ok to start your project.

Your Gold Award liaison will work with you throughout your project, serving as a sounding board, making suggestions, and ensuring that you have enough leadership hours and have addressed the root cause of your issue.

Your Gold Award liaison will also review your final paperwork and inform you when you can have your project advisor sign off on your project electronically and finish steps 6 and 7 of the GoldGo online paperwork.

Deadlines

15th of every month is the deadline to submit Gold Award proposals through the GoGold online portal.

September 30 of the year a girl graduates from high school is the final deadline to submit completed Gold Award projects.

March 15 is the deadline to submit completed Gold Award projects to be included in the GSNETX Gold Award ceremony that year.

April 1 of the year a girl will graduate from high school is the deadline to submit completed Gold Award projects if applying for the Betty Richardson Girl Scout Gold Award Scholarship. Please remember to apply, all girls must have completed their Gold Award.

April 15 of the applicant’s senior year of high school is the latest date a graduating senior may submit a Girl Scout Gold Award project proposal.

Resources

Gold Award Roundtables: Come to a Gold Award Virtual Roundtable to learn about the Girl Scout Gold Award guidelines! We'll start with an overview of the Gold Award process, GoGold online, the Gold Award rubric, Girl Guide, and provide helpful hints for completing your GoGold online application. We will also answer questions and provide feedback about any potential project ideas that you may have. Leaders, caregivers/parents, and girls are welcome!

Other Resources

GoGold guide (PDF)
GoGold Rubric (doc)
Gold Award Guide for Parents and Caregivers (PDF)
Gold Award Guide for Leaders (PDF)
Gold Award Guide for Project Advisors (PDF)
PR Guidelines and Press Release Template
Donations Solicitation letter sample
All Safety Activity Checkpoints (PDF)

Youth Service America works in collaboration with many agencies such as Hersey and Disney, as well as their own Everyday Young Hero Awards funding. If you are looking for funding, be sure to check out their home page and their specific grants frequently.

Everyday Young Hero Awards - Deadline: Rolling

Everyday Young Heroes are young people, ages 5-25, who are improving their communities through service. Each week, YSA selects one young person who receives a letter and certificate of recognition and is highlighted in YSA's newsletter and social media. Click here.

SPE Foundation Girl Scout Gold Award Grant

Provides financial resources for Girl Scouts pursuing their Gold Award whose project is making a positive impact on community recycling, promoting plastics sustainability, or addressing diversity issues in STEM. Click here.

Forms

Supplemental GSNETX Form (required with initial project proposal)
Troop Funds Agreement Form
GSNETX 501(c)3 Tax Letter
GSNETX Tax Exempt Form (EN) (ES)
GSNETX Gifts In-Kind Form
GSNETX Monetary Donation Form
GSNETX Photo Release Form
Activity Approval (if needed for additional money-earning)

Scholarships toggle arrow

Texas-Based Scholarships

County Master Gardners Association

Applications open October 1, 2025 to March 15, 2026. CCMGA offers one $2,000 scholarship to a student interested in the study of horticulture related fields, and is available to graduating high school seniors who are verifiable Collin County residents.

East Texas Communities Foundation
Applications open on January 1, 2026. The Juliette Low’s Amazing Girls Scholarship is open to a graduating senior from a public, private, or home school in Smith County, Texas, with a minimum GPA of at least a 3.0 (on a 4.0) scale. Preference will be given to recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

The Mendyka Family Scholarship
Applications closed May 1, 2025. This $1,500 annual scholarship is open to any graduating high school senior, or student currently in college or a post-high-school institution, considering careers in K-12 education or as a first responder (e.g. police, fire, EMT). This scholarship is made in memory of the teachers, school administrators/staff and children who were killed or wounded during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012, and to those first responders who risked their lives to attend to the wounded.

Ruth Maddox Young Women in STEM
All applications are currently closed. Honors young women ages 16-19 who have an interest in STEM disciplines and combining those interests with community volunteerism, leadership achievements, and advocating for the advancement of women by using STEM skills. This scholarship recognizes long-time Zonta Club of Dallas member Ruth Maddox, the third woman to receive an electrical engineering degree from SMU in 1948. The deadline for this award is around April 15 of each year with an award of $1,500.

Society of Women Engineers
All applications are currently closed. The Dallas Section of the Society of Women Engineers offers scholarships to graduating seniors from area high schools who will be majoring in Engineering.

Women with Promise
Offering award between $250 and $5000 to cover tuition, books and fees for full-time or part-time students at accredited financial institutions. Must reside in Dallas or Collin County and demonstrate a need for financial assistance.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

"24 Information Technology Scholarships" published by Purdue Global
Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship
Boom and Bucket Scholarship
Boster Bio Scholarship
Career Toolbelt Cover Letter Mastery Scholarship
Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation
College Success Scholarship by Study.com
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program
Dollar Hands Future of Finance Scholarship Award
Finger Finance Scholarship Award
Florin|Roebig 2026 Scholarship Essay Contest
GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship
The Hawker Online Journalist Scholarship
HBCU Scholarship Opportunities
HW Part Store Scholarship
The National Center for Women and Information Technology: Award for Aspirations in Computing
Nursing Scholarships
The Rover College Scholarship Scholarships for Women and Girls ScholarShot
Sage IT Scholarship
SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program
SMU Hunt Leadership Scholars Program
State Farm Good Neighbor Scholarship Program
The Taco Bell Foundation
Toyota Financial Services: Making Life Easier Scholarship
Trending Impact Journalist Scholarship
Tylenol Future Care Scholarship
Veterans of Foreign Wars: Scout of the Year, local connection for Frisco VFW Post 8273

Mayor Summer Internship Programs

City of Dallas Mayor's Intern Program (currently on hold)
Plano Mayor's Summer Internship Program
Rabbi Gerald J. Klein High School Internship (Jewish Family Services High School Summer Internship)
Richardson Mayor's Summer Internship Program (currently on hold)

Questions? Email goldaward@gsnetx.org.

Shop for gift for your Gold Award Girl Scout.