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Introducing Challenge Awards

Introducing Challenge Awards

Challenge Awards are new to Explorers, but they’re not new to Scouting. If you’ve worked with younger sections, you’ll recognise them straight away. What’s changed is how they’ve been brought into Explorers, giving young people a clearer route into bigger challenges and more ownership of their experience.

They also link directly to Top Awards. Challenge Awards can count towards the International, Community and Values (ICV) projects needed to achieve them, helping everything feel more connected instead of separate. You can find out how this works here: [add ICV guidance link]

Built for Bigger Challenges

Challenge Awards are all about going further. Instead of short activities, they focus on longer-term projects where Explorers take the lead. They choose something they care about, plan what they want to achieve, and follow it through over time.
There are six to choose from: Adventure, Community, Employability, International, Leadership and Values. Each one opens the door to a different kind of experience, but they all put young people firmly in the driving seat.

The Requirements, Made Simple

Every Challenge Award follows the same core journey:

  • Identify something you want to achieve
  • Plan how you’re going to do it
  • Take action and make it happen
  • Review and reflect on what you’ve learned

Throughout this, Explorers use the Experience Principles (Discover, Create, Solve, Mobilise, Experience and Reflect) to shape their project. These act as prompts to guide what they do and how they do it, helping them explore ideas, work with others, try new approaches and think about their progress along the way.
They give structure without boxing anyone in, keeping projects purposeful while still leaving space for creativity and choice.

Your Journey, Your Way

Documenting the journey is a key part of every Challenge Award. We do provide a logbook, and for some Explorers that’ll work really well. But it’s not the only way.
Young people can choose how they capture their experience, for example:

  • A short film or video diary
  • A photo story or social-style feed
  • A podcast or voice notes
  • A presentation or slideshow
  • A scrapbook or visual journal
  • A blog or digital portfolio

What matters is that they can show what they did, what they learned, and the difference they made. Giving that choice makes it more engaging, more accessible, and much more personal.

Real Projects, Real Impact

A group working on the Community Challenge might improve a local park, run events, and track the impact over time. Someone else might take on the Employability Challenge by organising workshops, meeting employers, or building skills for the future.
No two projects will look the same, and that’s the point. Challenge Awards flex around the interests, ideas and ambitions of the Explorers taking part.

Final Thoughts

Challenge Awards are where everything starts to come together. They connect the weekly programme to something bigger, helping young people build confidence, skills and a real sense of purpose.
They’re not just about taking part, they’re about stepping up, leading the way, and seeing what’s possible when Explorers take ownership of their journey.