Girl Scout Junior Bronze Award Requirements and Step-by-Step Guide

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026

Girl Scout Juniors are at a wonderful age. They are old enough to notice what is happening in their community, and they are ready to do something about it. The Bronze Award gives them that chance. It is one of the highest awards in Girl Scouting, and it asks fourth and fifth graders to work together on a project that makes a real difference. If your troop is ready to begin, this guide explains the Junior Bronze Award requirements and walks you through the process one step at a time.

The Bronze Award is designed as a team experience. Juniors team up with fellow Girl Scouts to explore their community, discover a need or issue they care about, and create a plan to address it. For adult volunteers, the process can feel like a lot to manage. The good news is that the requirements are clear, and the steps are easy to follow when you know what to expect.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is one of the highest awards in Girl Scouting, and it belongs to Juniors. Earning it means the girls have moved beyond badges and meetings into hands-on community action. They look at the place where they live, find something that could be better, and then do the work to improve it.

Along the way, Juniors practice teamwork, problem-solving, and follow-through. They learn that their own ideas can lead to change. For many girls, this is the first time a Girl Scout activity has asked them to lead a project from start to finish.

Before your troop can plan a project, each girl needs to meet the official requirements. Girl Scouts of the USA lists these expectations for earning the Junior Bronze Award:

• Be in fourth or fifth grade.

• Be a registered Girl Scout Junior.

• Have completed a Junior Leadership Award. (Up to October 2026 it could be Journey)

The Junior Leadership Award option is new in 2025. Previously, completing a Junior Journey was the main path to the Bronze Award, which is being retired as of October 2026. Now, Juniors who have earned a Junior Leadership Award can move forward with a Bronze Award project. Since this change is recent, your local council is the best source for the details that apply to your troop.

The Bronze Award is built for Juniors, so girls must be in fourth or fifth grade. They also need to be registered Girl Scout Juniors. This registration is usually already in place when a troop starts its year, but it helps to double check before you begin. If a girl has recently bridged to Juniors, confirm that she is registered at the Junior level before the project starts.

Girl Scout Junior leadership awards are skill-building experiences for 4th and 5th-grade Girl Scouts that serve as prerequisites for earning the Bronze Award. Each award asks a girl to practice a skill, then put it to use, such as leading a craft station at a troop meeting or teaching younger girls a new game.

Available Junior Leadership Awards

Juniors can choose from several Girl Scouts Leadership Awards focused on personal growth, teaching, and community impact. Check the official page for the current list, since options can change.

• Junior True North Award: Focuses on personal leadership by helping girls discover their values, set courageous goals, and make a plan.
  
  

• Junior Aide Award: Focuses on teaching leadership by planning and leading a fun, inclusive activity for younger Daisy or Brownie Girl Scouts.
  
  

• Take Action Award: Focuses on community advocacy by teaming up to identify a local community issue and creating a lasting solution.
  
  

• Global Action Award: Connects local issues to how communities worldwide experience similar challenges.

Once the girls meet the requirements, the project itself can begin. The process is simple in concept but big in experience: explore, choose, plan, and act. Here is how it looks in practice.

Step 1: Confirm the Prerequisites Are Complete

Start by confirming that everyone participating is in fourth or fifth grade, is a registered Junior, and has finished a Junior Journey or earned a Junior Leadership Award. If some girls still need to complete their Journey, plan that first. Starting the Bronze Award with the whole team ready will make the rest of the process smoother.

Step 2: Team Up With Fellow Girl Scouts

The Bronze Award is not meant to be completed alone. Juniors team up with fellow Girl Scouts to explore their community and take action together. The team can be your whole troop or a smaller group of Juniors within it. Everyone should have a role in deciding what the project will be and how the work gets done.

Step 3: Explore the Community and Find a Need

The heart of the Bronze Award is making the community better. That work starts with exploration. Give the girls time to look at their own neighborhood, school, park, or town with fresh eyes. Ask them what they notice. What is missing? What could be improved? Who could use help? The answers to those questions will point the troop toward a need they genuinely care about.

Step 4: Choose a Project and Create a Plan

After exploring, the troop may find several problems worth fixing. Help the girls pick just one. Then let them make a plan for the project. The plan should explain what they want to do, who it will help, what tasks are needed, and what supplies or support they will need. This is also a good time to ask your council about any local rules for Bronze Award projects. Here are 25 great ideas to get you started

Step 5: Put the Plan Into Action

Now the girls carry out the project. They will work in teams, solve problems, and adjust the plan when things do not go as expected. Your role is to support them without taking over. Let the Juniors make the decisions and do the hands-on work. When the project is finished, celebrate. The girls have earned it, and they will remember this accomplishment for a long time.

The best Bronze Award project grows out of a need that the Juniors discover in their own community, so the strongest ideas will come from the girls themselves. Use the examples below as conversation starters during your brainstorming meeting.

• A troop that loves animals might organize a supply drive for a local shelter after talking with the shelter staff about what they need. Example Paws in the Park
  
  

• A troop that enjoys spending time outdoors might adopt a local park and plan regular cleanups or small improvements. Example Outdoor Skills Day
  
  

• A troop that wants to help patients going through cancer treatment might create some type of care packages for them. Example Comfort 4 Cancer
  
  

• A troop that notices an empty or plain community space might create a simple beautification project for neighbors to enjoy. Example Community Garden

Notice that each of these projects starts with something the girls already care about. When the project connects to their interests, Juniors stay motivated through planning, preparation, and the final push to finish.

You do not have to run a Bronze Award project by yourself. A few simple habits will keep the experience positive for the girls and manageable for you.

• Talk to your council first. Your council can share official guidelines for your area, answer deadline questions, and tell you what information you need before and after the project.
  
  

• Keep the project girl-led. Guide the conversation with questions, but let the Juniors make the important decisions. It is their project, and it should feel that way.
  
  

• Bring in parent volunteers. Parents can handle transportation, snacks, supply runs, and extra supervision on project days.
  
  

• Break the work into small pieces. A long community project can feel overwhelming to a fourth or fifth grader. Set short-term goals and celebrate each one.
  
  

• Keep a simple record of what the girls did. Notes about the need they found, the actions they took, and the people they helped will be useful when it is time to share the story with families and your council.

Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls!