FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS // PARTICIPANTS

The Congressional Award program is for youth ages 14-23 years of age. Participants can register when they are 13 ½ years old. However, they cannot earn their first Award until they are 14. All goals must be completed by their 24th birthday.

You may begin counting hours once you have submitted your registration form and your goals have been approved by your advisor. Because goals play such an important part in the spirit of the program, we don't allow past service, fitness, development, or adventures count. However, once you register, hours may be counted and carried to each level of the program. Think of it like this: your Gold medal is your final destination, but you'll receive recognition in the form of certificates/medals at lower levels along the way.

When earning an award, goals achieved by activities requiring intense hours over a short period of time should be extended over the requirement for the level (for example, 7 months at the Bronze Medal level), either with follow-up activities or by choosing a second goal. Part of earning the Congressional Award is making a commitment to your activities over a period of time. In order to earn an award, you must demonstrate that you have completed activities during at least the number of months required at your current level.

In order to earn a Congressional Award, participants must complete hours for all four of the program areas. You cannot choose to pursue only certain ones. The Congressional Award program is about exploring new and different activities, thus becoming a well-rounded and balanced individual.

Please submit a complete Record Book that includes all of your hours for each of the program areas—even if you go over the minimum hour and time requirements. Remember that the minimum program requirements are just that—a minimum. All hours carry over from one level to the next, and we add them up in our database at the National Office. We want to be sure that you get credit for all hours that you accumulate throughout the program. Just remember to only list your new hours—not your total number that includes previous levels. We’ll already have that information in our database.

Not usually. Hours accumulated by attending regular club meetings where regular business is discussed are unacceptable. It is the activities the club undertakes, not the meetings it holds that count toward the Award. For some goals, time invested in gaining leadership skills or planning award activities might be allowable. Speak to your advisor or Trista Ostrom if you are unclear if something works or doesn't.

Yes. Adjustments to the requirements can be made to suit the individual needs of participants with physical or mental disabilities. However, the degree of challenge and effort required to earn the Award is not diminished.

No. When earning the Award we encourage participants to complete activities that will challenge and push them. These activities, although challenging, must be different in every area. The participant cannot complete an activity in one area and use the same activity and hours to complete in another. However, you may choose a specific physical fitness activity goal to use as personal development; you just can't count that specific goal toward both areas.