Earn a Congressional Award!

The Congressional Award was established in 1979 to encourage and recognize young people for achieving individual goals in four program areas: volunteer service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.

As long as you enroll prior to counting your hours, what you do in the activities of other organizations or even as an extracurricular activity might count toward a Congressional Award. Currently, more than 13,000 young people are working to earn a Congressional Award. The Award is based solely on personal goals. It’s a non-competitive program open to all young people aged 14 to 23. Awards are earned—not won—and no one has to nominate you. There are no deadlines. Participants work entirely at their own pace. Any young person may enroll; you don’t have to be a stellar student or an all-star athlete. There’s no limit to the number of award recipients each year. Each young person must select an unrelated adult to act as his or her advisor.

There are six levels of recognition: bronze, silver and gold certificates; and bronze, silver and gold medals. Each participant must keep a record of the hours they spend in the four areas and have it validated by an adult familiar with the activity. For example, a coach would be an appropriate validator for physical fitness activities. The 30 hours required for the bronze certificate count toward the 120 hours required for the silver certificate, and the hours may accumulate so that, over a minimum period of two years, you’ve accumulated 400 hours of community service, 200 hours of personal development, 200 hours of physical fitness, plus a four-consecutive-night expedition or exploration. A member of Congress usually presents the awards. Gold medals are presented in Washington.

Increasingly, college admissions officers and employers are recognizing what it takes to earn a Congressional Award. It is the kind of thing that looks great on a college application and on a resume.

To enroll and learn more about the Congressional Award, visit www.congressionalaward.com or call (202) 226-0130.

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