Venturing Summit Award
The Summit Award represents Venturing's highest honor. To achieve this ultimate recognition, you will serve the crew as a leader —both formally and informally— and you will be a mentor to others. In addition, you will strengthen your community be designing and leading a service project to benefit others. The experience gained in earning this award will help you mature as a member of a team and as an individual.
This page is your resource on Summit process; requirements, project, application and Board of Review.
As a Venturer it is your responsibility to understand and follow this process. We, your Crew, your Advisor and the VOA will have your back during this entire process. But in the end, this is your achievement after all.
Requirements:
There are 4 sections to Summit requirements; Adventure, Leadership, Service and Personal Growth.
The BSA Venturing Summit Requirements page has all the up-to-date details.
Summit Project:
The culmination of the Summit award is the effort behind the Summit Project. This project may benefit a religious institution, school, community, or an individual or group, or even that part of a business’s operation that is provided as a community serviced. The test is whether the project primarily benefits the community, as opposed to the profits of the business.
Download the current Venturing Summit Award Service Project Workbook 
for full details and requirements.
Summit Award Application Process:
1] SUBMITTING THE SUMMIT AWARD APPLICATION AND PROJECT WORKBOOK
- The Summit Award Candidate is to complete the Summit Award Application
- Obtain necessary signatures and proper dates
- all dates must be before (not ON) Summit Award Candidates' 21st birthday
- unless special permission has been secured from the Council Advancement Committee
- Summit Award Candidate completes the project workbook
- Project must be completed and signed off before (not ON) Summit Award Candidates' 21st birthday
- unless special permission has been secured from the Council Advancement Committee
- Submit application and workbook to your local council service center. [Remember to make yourself a copy]
- Mark application package - ATTN: Mary Demski, La Grange Service Center
2] VERIFY THE APPLICATION
Program Administrator reviews, validates, files a copy of the application and returns application and workbook to originating Service Center who will contact Summit Award Candidate that their verified application and workbook can be picked up.
If any discrepancies are found, the application will be returned Summit Award Candidate with a letter indicating what needs to be corrected before the application can be resubmitted.
3] SUMMIT BOARD OF REVIEW [BoR]
The Board of Review is scheduled only after the council has verified the application is returned to Summit Award Candidate.
- Summit Award Chair coordinates with Summit Award Committee to select a Summit BoR Chair for Summit Award Candidate
- Summit BoR Chair contacts Summit Award Candidate to introduce themself as their Summit BoR Chair, then they should begin coordination to convene a Summit BoR. (see "Composition of BoR" for details)
- Summit Award BoR may be held up to 6 months AFTER the Summit Award Candidates' 21st birthday
- unless special permission has been secured from the Council Advancement Committee
4] SCOUT EXECUTIVE SIGNATURE
After a successful Summit Board of Review the signed application is returned to the council service center to obtain the Scout executive’s signature for approval.
5] FOUR TO SIX WEEK PROCESSING PERIOD
The National Service Center will process the submitted Summit Award application within four to six weeks. If there are any questions or concerns regarding the application, the council service center will be contacted.
The Summit Award credentials will be printed, packaged, and mailed to the council service center.
The council service center will contact the Summit Award Candidate or their family to pick up the Summit Award credentials.
The new Summit Award credentials will need to be presented to the Scout Shop in order to purchase the actual Summit Award and knot.
Composition of a Summit Board of Review [BoR]:
Once the Summit application has been reviewed by Council, the Summit Board of Review may be scheduled.
The Board of Review must consist of at least five, but no more than six, members. At least half of the board of review members (not counting the BOR Chair) must be Venturers [youth] currently participating in the program.
The Summit Award candidates' crew president and the board of review chair must agree upon the final membership of the board of review. If the candidate is the crew president, the crew’s vice president of administration must be in agreement with the chair. If the chair and crew president (or vice president of administration) cannot agree, the candidate’s crew Advisor will make the final determination, considering the potential members previously discussed by the crew president and chair.
Additional information may be obtained in the Venturing Board of Review Guide
- Board of Review Chair:
- The adult chair of the Summit Board of Review is a Venturing certified designated representative of the PTAC Advancement Committee.
- Venturer Representatives:
- The Board of Review should include at least two active Venturers, at least one of whom must be from the candidates' crew.
- The second Active Venturer:
- Should be a member of the Council Venturing Officers Association, if available. If a member of the Council VOA is not available, Area or Regional VOA officers may serve.
NOTE:
In the event the BoR Chair determines that a VOA Officer unavailable, the Candidates' Crew President may nominate another Venturer [youth] from the candidates’ crew to serve.
- Additional Venturer Representatives:
- To fill out the Board an additional active Venturer must be selected from the following list.
- A current [youth] holder of the Summit Award or Silver Award
- A Venturer [youth] who currently holds an elected office in a [any] crew
- An Eagle Scout, Quartermaster, or Girl Scout Gold Award recipient who is an active Venturer [youth]
NOTE:
In the event the BoR Chair determines that there is not a Venturer [youth] who meets one of these qualifications, the Candidates' Crew President may nominate another Venturer [youth] from the candidates’ crew to serve.
- Adult Representatives:
- Other than the chair, the Board of Review must include at least one other adult who is registered with the BSA and who participates regularly with the Venturing program at any level. This adult cannot be a member of the candidates' crew.
- Community Representatives:
- It is recommended that the Board of Review involve at least one well-respected adult representative of the community.
NOTE:
In the event the BoR Chair determines that there is not a Venturer [youth] who meets one of these qualifications, the Candidates' Crew President may nominate another Venturer [youth] from the candidates’ crew to serve.
NOTE:
- Notice that the Summit Award candidates' Crew Advisor is not mentioned in the makeup of a Summit Board of Review. The Summit Award candidates' Crew Advisor may observe, but may not participate.
Congratulations!
You've completed the process and are now a Summit Award recipient!
We look forward to seeing you at the annual PTAC Youth Recognition Dinner.
