New BSA Outdoor Awards Unveiled

Two new awards have been developed to promote “outdoorism” for Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts!

BSA National Outdoor Challenge Award

The National Outdoor Challenge is a unit award that recognizes troops/teams that maintain or increase the amount of outdoor activity when compared to the previous year. The application is available here, and is due at the end of 2010. With the release of this award, the National Camping Award has been discontinued; however, patches for camping nights will be available until the inventory is depleted.

BSA National Outdoor Achievement Award

The National Outdoor Achievement Award recognizes Boy Scouts/Varsity Scouts who excel in outdoor participation. The award has five areas of emphasis (camping, aquatics, hiking, riding, and adventure) with rigorous requirements to earn each segment.

For Scouts looking for an extra challenge, there’s the National Medal for Outdoor Achievement. This challenging award requires earning at least three of the National Outdoor Achievement segments, planning and leading a trek, earning Wilderness First Aid certification, and becoming a Leave No Trace Trainer, as well as fulfilling several other requirements. The application is available here.

For more information on the new BSA Outdoor Awards, click here.