Awards for Your Den and Pack

Just as Cub Scouts can earn individual awards for themselves, they can also work together to earn awards for their whole den or their pack. Getting together to work on these awards is a great way to practice teamwork and to show every Cub Scout how important he is as a member of his den or pack.

National Den Award

The National Den Award recognizes dens that have a quality, year-round program. The award goes to dens that do service and conservation projects, field trips, character building, and camping. Dens earn the award as a team, not as individual den members. The recognition is a ribbon for the den flag or den doodle.

National Summertime Pack Award

A pack can earn the National Summertime Pack Award by doing three pack activities when school is out for the summer—one activity each in June,July, and August. Packs that qualify get a colorful streamer for their pack flag. Dens that have at least half of their members at the three summer pack events can earn a den ribbon. Pack members who take part in all three events are eligible for the National Summertime Pack Award pin, to wear on the right pocket flap of their uniform.

If a pack is in a "year-round school" (or is part of a home-school association), the pack could earn the Summertime Pack Award by having a special pack activity during school breaks.

Scouting's Journey to Excellence

“Scouting’s Journey to Excellence” is the BSA’s new council performance recognition program designed to encourage and reward success and measure the performance of our units, districts, and councils. It is replacing the Centennial Quality Awards Program as a means of encouraging excellence in providing a quality program at all levels of the BSA. Please click here to learn more about Scouting's Journey to Excellence.

Veteran Unit Emblem

This emblem is a gold embroidered bar worn by boys and adult leaders of packs that have been chartered 50 years or longer. It is worn just below the council patch, above and touching the pack numeral.

William T. Hornaday Unit Award

The Hornaday Awards program encourages learning about natural resources, conservation, and the environment. Respecting the outdoors is an important part of Scouting. Scouts learn to understand and take care of natural resources and to protect the environment.

A Cub Scout pack may earn this award by doing a big, special conservation project. More than half of the pack's members must take part. This award is granted through the Conservation Service of the BSA National Council. Packs must apply for the award through their local council.

The BSA Family Award

The BSA Family Award program offers activities to help strengthen all families—whether two-parent, single-parent, or nontraditional. This program helps families accomplish worthy goals while building and strengthening relationships among family members. All family members are encouraged to participate and may earn the award.

Some packs, through a volunteer family program chair, actively encourage and support families pursuing this award. If your pack does not promote and support the family program, your family may still participate on its own. The BSA Family Activity Book (available at your local council service center) gives all the requirements as well as step-by-step instructions for earning the BSA Family Award.

To earn the award, a family must complete 10 activities within a 12-month period. The family chooses one activity in two topics in each of the following categories:

1. Learning Through Fun and Adventure
2. Strengthening Family Relationships
3. Developing Personal Strengths
4. Teaching Responsibility
5. Handling Difficult Situations

When a family has completed the requirements, all family members are eligible to receive an award certificate, patches for uniform wear, and/or pins for non-uniform wear.

Other Awards You Can Earn

Besides the advancement awards and the adventure loops and pins, Cub Scouts may earn other individual awards. Set your sights on these:

Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award

Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Scouts may earn the Cub Scout Outdoor Activity Award. This award recognizes the Scout for taking part in outdoor recreation and conservation projects. In many cases, you can earn this award while doing other Scouting activities. Click here for more information about this award.

Religious Emblems

To encourage members to grow stronger in their faith, many religious groups have programs for young people to earn a religious emblem. The Boy Scouts of America approves of these programs and allows the religious emblems to be worn on the official uniform.

For a list of emblems programs, and a list of awards provided by each faith or religious group, see the Religious Emblems Programs page.

Cub Scout World Conservation Award The World Conservation Award for Cub Scouts provides an opportunity for individual Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Scouts to “think globally” and “act locally” to preserve and improve our environment. This program is designed to make youth members aware that all nations are closely related through natural resources, and that we are interdependent with our world environment. Requirements for this award must be completed in addition to any similar requirements completed for rank. This award may not be earned by Tigers.

Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award/Outdoor Ethics Action Award

Cub Scouts who are interested in learning more about outdoor ethics and Leave No Trace may earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award. The Outdoor Ethics Action Award asks Scouts to use their new knowledge to take steps to improve their outdoor skills.

STEM/Nova Awards The Nova awards for Cub Scouts are for Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Scouts who are interested in learning more about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These awards may not be earned by Tiger Scouts. For their first Nova awards, Scouts have the opportunity to earn the Nova award patch, followed by three more π pin-on devices. The patch and the three devices represent each of the four STEM topics. The Supernova awards have more challenging requirements and recognize more in-depth, advanced achievement in STEM related activities.

Emergency Preparedness Award

"Emergency preparedness" means being ready for all kinds of emergencies. It means you're ready and able to help in times of trouble to save lives and property and to help a community—or even a nation—get back to normal after a disaster happens. To encourage Scouts of all ages to be prepared for emergencies, the BSA has approved an Emergency Preparedness Award program for members of all ages. To learn more about the award requirements and to download an application form, visit the Emergency Preparedness Award page.

Spirit of the Eagle Award

The Boy Scouts of America has created the Spirit of the Eagle Award as an honorary, posthumous special recognition for a registered youth member who has lost his or her life in an accident or through illness.

Spirt of the Eagle Application