- What is the Duke Award?
- Why should I participate in the Award?
- How can I participate?
- What if my educational institution does not offer the Award?
- What are the participation requirements?
- How long does participation take?
- What does participation cost?
- What happens when I move?
- How does participation typically work?
- How do I find an assessor?
What is the Duke Award?
The Duke Award is an international program that develops you personally and promotes your strengths. During your participation in the Duke Award, you take on self-chosen challenges, set yourself personal goals and make new friends.
The Bronze, Silver and Gold levels require increasingly more time, commitment and personal responsibility. In each of the following areas, you choose an exciting activity and set yourself a goal – your personal challenge is complete:
At the end of your participation in the Duke Award, you will receive an award, which will be presented to you in a festive setting and which – if you add it to your application portfolio – can open many doors for you. But most importantly: you will have unforgettable experiences and grow beyond yourself!
Discover activities
Why should I participate in the Award?
- When it comes to job applications, employers want to know what experience you have gained outside of school and university that you can bring to the job – your participation in the Duke Award is perfect for this.
- You will develop soft skills that employers value: Commitment, resilience, organization and time management, communication, teamwork skills, leadership and effective problem solving.
- The Award is recognized all over the world! Whether you are looking for a job in Germany or abroad, the program is designed to be one of your greatest strengths.
- You’ll also find lifelong friendships and endless networking opportunities through participation in the Award. It’s a chance to meet like-minded people and work together to achieve common goals. It’s an opportunity to make your voice heard and inspire positive change by championing important social issues.
How can I participate?
Our association licenses educational institutions throughout Germany, which then offer the award locally. To take part in the Duke Award, you can check here whether your school, club or university already offers the Award:
Our Award providers
What if my educational institution does not offer the Award?
What are the participation requirements?
Anyone between the ages of 14 and 24 can take part in the Duke Award – regardless of ability, social and cultural background, religion or gender. This includes pupils, trainees, students and young professionals.
The following minimum age applies for each level:
- For Bronze, you must be at least 14 years old. If you are 13 but your friends are already 14, you may participate one year earlier in exceptional cases.
- For Silver you must be at least 15 years old. If you have previously completed your Bronze Award, you can continue at Silver level without waiting for your 15th birthday.
- For Gold, you must be at least 16 years old, as this is a particularly demanding challenge. Activities that you did before your 16th birthday cannot be counted.
How long does participation take?
The following overview shows you how long participation takes in each case:
What does participation cost?
Participants from public institutions pay 7.50 euros per level. For participants at private institutions and in companies, participation costs 30 euros per level. In some cases, you can receive a kind of “scholarship” at a public institution via a funding pot and participate for free. Please contact your program provider or our association.
Costs may vary depending on the program provider, as they calculate higher costs for the implementation of the expedition, for example.
What happens when I move?
If you move before you have finished your Award, you can still complete it.
Your previous Award Leaders may be willing to continue to support you until you have achieved your Award. Otherwise, we as an association will take over your support.
And if you move to another country, there is a good chance that you will be able to continue your Award there too. Please contact us or contact The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation directly.
How does participation typically work?
How do I find an assessor?
Assessors confirm that you have successfully completed a part of the program. They must be independent, so they must not be family members.
Any person who is interested in supporting you and is familiar with your activity can be your assessor. This could be a soccer coach, the head of an aid organization, a neighbor who knows about web design or a teacher who teaches you how to fish.
Here you will find forms for the assessments that you can give to your assessors. If you know their email and can enter it in the ORB, then your assessor will automatically receive this form:
Assessment Volunteering Assessment Skills Assessment Physical
