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 by 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 the Summit Award process; requirements, project, application and Board of Review.
As a Venturer it is your responsibility to understand and follow this process. The Council, 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
- 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
- The 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 to the Summit Award Candidate with a note indicating what needs to be corrected before the application can be resubmitted.
3] SUMMIT BOARD OF REVIEW [SBoR]
The Summit Board of Review is scheduled only after the council-verified application is returned to the Summit Award Candidate.
- Council Summit Award Chair coordinates with Council Summit Award Committee to select Summit BoR Chair
- Summit BoR Chair contacts Summit Award Candidate to introduce themself as the Council 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 Summit Award application is returned to the council service center to obtain the Scout executive’s signature for approval. Once signed, the application is sent onto National for review.
5] FOUR TO SIX WEEK PROCESSING PERIOD
The National Service Center will process the submitted 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.
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 must be Venturers [youth] currently participating in the program.
The Summit Award candidate’s 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 Venturer may be from the candidates' crew under circumstances described below.
- The second Active Venturer:
- Should be a member of the Council Venturing Officers Association, if available, otherwise officers of the Area or Regional VOA may serve.
NOTE:
In the event the SBoR Chair determines that a VOA Officer is 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 should 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 SBoR Chair determines that a VOA Officer is unavailable, the Candidates' Crew President may nominate another Venturer [youth] from the candidates’ crew to serve.
- Adult Representatives:
- Other than the SBoR Chair, the board of review should include at least one adult who is:
- 21 years of age or older
- a registered member of the BSA
- Completed the new YPT program
- participates regularly within the Venturing program at any level
This adult is preferably in the Summit Award candidates' crew, other than the Crew Advisor.
NOTE:
If a female Venturer [youth] sits on the SBoR, than a BSA registered, 21 year old or older, YPT trained female must be present, even if just an observer.
- Community Representatives:
- It is recommended that the board of review involve at least one well-respected adult representative of the community.
Helpful information for Community Representatives may be found in the Venturing Summit Award BOR Fact Sheet 
NOTE:
Notice that the candidate’s Crew Advisor is not on this list. The Summit Award Candidates' 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 photos of your Summit Award Court of Honor.
See you at the annual PTAC Youth Recognition Dinner
