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Major Awards

Take on the highest challenges in Scouting through adventure, international experiences, volunteering and personal development

Jump to an award:

King’s Scout Award
Explorer Belt
Duke of Edinburgh Gold
Scouts of the World Award

King’s Scout Award

The King’s Scout Award is the top achievement for Explorer Scouts and Scout Network members and comprises a variety of activities to complete. It’s closely linked to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, so it’s worth considering working on the two awards together. To gain the award, you must complete all of the requirements before your 25th birthday.

Young People who’s KSA is approved by UK Headquarters in one calendar year, will be invited to celebrate their award by attending an event held at Windsor Castle in the following calendar year. This National Day of Celebration and Achievement is normally hosted on the Sunday nearest to St George’s Day in April. KSA award holders and their invited guests, will join the Chief Scout and others to recognise their achievements in an informal parade around the Quadrangle in the castle grounds. To find out more on the event, please visit Day of Celebration and Achievement

Ready to start?

  1. Download the King’s Scout Award Logbook.
  2. Get in touch with the GLSW King’s Scout Award Team.
  3. Arrange an initial conversation with your Explorer Leader or Network Lead.
  4. Agree a plan for completing each section of the award.
  5. Start your adventure!
Full criteria for the King’s Scout Award

Need support?

Whether you’re just getting started, half way through or wanting to get it over line with that final requirement, we are here to help!

We can help with:

  • Planning your award
  • Linking your Gold DofE
  • Checking requirements
  • Signposting opportunities
  • Answering questions

Contact: ksa.team@glswscouts.org.uk

Frequently asked questions

You can start as soon as your turn 16. All of the requirements need to be completed by your 25th birthday.

Yes! The requirements for Gold DofE count towards the King’s Scout Award so you can do them at the same time.

The presentation is the final part of the award. It should be to help others understand what you have done as a part of your award but also to inspire others to want to take part in the award.

An appropriate audience may be:

  • Other Explorers or Networkers in your Unit or District
  • Your Explorer or Network Leaders
  • Adult volunteers in the District 14-24 Team
  • District and/or County Youth Lead
  • District and/or County Lead Volunteer
  • Adult volunteers in the District/County Programme Team
  • Your King’s Scout Award mentor

Once all sections of the logbook have been filled out, they get submitted to the KSA Award team who will verify and provide the final sign off before submitting the award to UK Headquarters.

King’s Scout Awards can be signed off by:

  • County 14–24 Team Leader
  • County Programme Team Member
  • County Lead Volunteer

Yes, this is a youth award so all requirements need to be completed by the time the member leaves Scout Network.

Explorer Belt

The Explorer Belt is one of the most adventurous awards in Scouting for Explorer Scouts and Scout Network members. It challenges participants to complete a self-led expedition in another country, where they immerse themselves in a different culture, undertake projects, and develop skills in teamwork, leadership and independence. Completing the Explorer Belt is a unique opportunity to gain confidence, broaden your horizons and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Ready to start?

  1. Speak to your Explorer Leader or Scout Network Lead to discuss whether the Explorer Belt is the right award for you.
  2. Get in touch with the GLSW Explorer Belt Team to register your interest and receive guidance on planning your expedition.
  3. Find your expedition team and begin planning your international adventure, including your route, transport and budget.
  4. Complete your preparation and training, ensuring you have the skills and knowledge needed for a safe and successful expedition.
  5. Embark on your Explorer Belt expedition and complete your projects before submitting your award for assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explorers over the age of 16 and network members aged 24 or under at the time of the expedition.

A minimum starting size of 3 people per team is needed with at least 2 required to finish it.

The trip is 10 days and is an international expedition traversing a chosen country or region.

Nope, similar to the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, you can decide on what your mode of transport is. you can choose from:

  • Walking
  • Cycling
  • Horse
  • Canoe
  • Boat
  • Dinghy

The primary requirements are that you have a minimum travelling time of 50 hours over the 10 days.

There must be one major project along with 10 minor projects while on the expedition.

Yes, but as it is your award, you and your team must decide on a strict budget for the duration of the trip. Then, while you are away you need log and track all of your spending.

Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, commonly known as DofE is an international award scheme set up by the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1956. Since then, it has been adopted in 144 countries across the world. The award scheme allows teenagers and young adults to complete activities and challenges across 4 main disciplines (5 for the Gold Award); Volunteering, Physical, Skill and an Expedition. For the Gold Award, a further section of a Residential is added. Upon completion of the Gold Award, recipients are invited to a Gold Award Presentation (GAP) which is held as a garden party at Buckingham Palace, The Palace of Holyrood House in Scotland, or Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. This depends on where you completed your award. For Explorer Scouts and Scout Network, the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award is also closely linked with the King’s Scout Award. Find out more about the award scheme or specifically the Gold Award below:

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
DofE Awards – Scouts
DofE – GLSW Scouts

Ready to get started?

  1. You can do your Gold DofE through School or College. Scouts is also a recognised provider.
  2. If you want to work on it through Scouts, email the DofE team at dofe@glswscouts.org.uk.
  3. Work with the team to decide what you would like to do for each of your sections.

How does it link to the King’s Scout Award?

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme is very closely linked with a number of the Top Awards in Scouts. The requirements for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award also count towards the Physical, Skill, Volunteering and Residential sections of the King’s Scout Award.

Frequently Asked Questions

You need to be at least 16, with all of the requirements having to be signed off by your 25th birthday

The section timeframes are:

  • Volunteering – 12 months
  • Physical or Skill – one for 12 months and one for 6 months (you choose which is longer)
  • Residential – Spend 5 days and 4 consecutive nights away from home doing a shared, purposeful activity with people you do not know.
  • Expedition: A minimum of 4 days and 3 nights with 8 hours of planned activity each day.

Nope! You can begin from scratch with your Gold Award, as long as you are aged between 16 and 25

If you are already enrolled in the Award elsewhere (e.g. with school) but wish to transfer your enrolment to GLSW, we only charge a £1 admin fee.

The residential section is the unique section for the Gold Award. To complete this section, you need to complete a 5 day, 4 night consecutive experience away from home with people you do not know. The aim is to work towards a project or improve a skill. This can be decided with your assessor.

Once you have finished all of your sections, you need to make sure that the evidence is uploaded to eDofE. This way your assessor can verify that you have completed all aspects of the award. Once this is complete, your award will get sent into the organisation for verification. After this point, if it is approved, you will be sent your award and invited to one of the garden parties as part of the celebration of your achievement.

Your section assessor should be someone who you work with and they can see your progress towards your aims in the section. As an example, if you are undertaking your volunteering section with a younger scout section, an aim may be to complete missions or part of the YL scheme. Your assessor may be one of the section volunteers, Group Lead Volunteer or member of the 14-24 team who can confirm that you have met your goals.

Scouts of the World Award (SOWA)

The Scouts of the World Award is an international award which is recognised by the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and the United Nations (UN). SOWA is an award for members of Scout Network.

As a County GLSW is working on bringing this provision to our networkers in the coming months.

In the meantime, you can find out more about the award by clicking here