Award Celebrations

Gold Award Holders who have been on the Gold Waiting List since before 2022 have until December 31st, 2024, to attend a Celebration for recognition. As of August 2023, all Gold Award Holders will be maintained on the Gold Celebration Waiting List for three years, after which they will be archived if they haven’t attended a Celebration. It’s imperative to adhere to this timeframe to maintain eligibility for recognition. For further inquiries or assistance, please contact us at awardcelebration@dukeofed.org.

In fall 2021, we changed our process and now mail each Gold Award Holder their Award certificate and pin once it is achieved. This new process helps recognize achievements in a timely manner.

All Gold Award Holders are added to the Gold Celebration Waiting List upon achieving their Gold Award. To be removed from the Gold Celebration Waiting List, please email support@dukeofed.org.

Once a date, venue and presenter have been confirmed, the event is added to the Award Celebration section above.

Award Holders are responsible for paying for their own travel and accommodation expenses to attend a celebration.  The Award does not have a travel subsidy program nor preferred hotels.

We do not anticipate the Royal Family attending a Gold Celebration in Canada in the foreseeable future.

In the fall of 2019, the Award Canada announced that the Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners of Canada will begin presiding at Gold Celebrations.

The Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners have been our strongest and most consistent supporters throughout the years, and as the King’s local representative, still maintain the Award’s special link to the Crown.  This has also increased the potential for more Award Celebrations on a regular basis across Canada.

The Royal Family remain passionate supporters of the Award, and we look forward incorporating any future visits into the events that involve registered members of the Award’s Global Award Alumni Network (GAAN).

Each celebration is open to anyone on the Gold Celebration Waiting List regardless of location, giving Award Holders the opportunity to meet fellow Award Holders and visit a different part of the country.   It also provides those living outside of their home province an opportunity to attend a Gold Celebration in a timely manner.

Please see below to learn about how the registration process works for a Gold Celebration.

An email notification is sent from awardcelebration@dukeofed.org, via our MailChimp account to the Gold Celebration Waiting List approximately eight weeks before a scheduled ceremony.  The email notification will have event details (time, location, name of presenter, etc.) as well as a link to the registration form.

Those interested in attending are asked to complete the registration form.  Most celebrations will have a two-week registration period.  Once registration is closed, official invitations are sent via email

If there are more registrations than spots available at a Gold Celebration, a waiting list is created for that specific celebration.  The waiting list is created based on a number of factors including; length of time since Award approval, previous waiting list placement, timeliness of registering for celebration as well as those who achieved their Award in the host province and those currently living in the host province.  If someone sends their regrets to the official invitation, an invitation is sent to the next person on the waiting list.

Within 7 business days of registering, those selected to attend will receive an official invitation via email.  Those who have been placed on the waiting list specific to that celebration will be notified by email.

Yes, as your regrets will create an opening at the celebration for the next person on the celebration waiting list to attend.

Yes, three to four days before the celebration a “Housekeeping” email will be sent to the Award Holders who RSVP’d as well as to their guests.  It will include additional information such as timing, dress code, protocol,  provincial or territorial regulations and other important information.

Other standard information includes:

• Attire: The recommended attire for all guests is business attire. A business dress code includes the following examples: a blazer, dress shirt and tie, suit, slacks, dress or skirt.Members of uniformed groups are encouraged to wear official and complete uniforms.  The wearing of a decoration is optional.
• Protocol:  In conversation, one traditionally addresses the Lieutenant Governor or a Territorial Commissioner as “Your Honour” initially, and subsequently as “Ma’am” or “Sir”. When mentioning the Lieutenant Governor, it is traditional to refer to them as “Her Honour” or “His Honour”. When mentioning the Territorial Commissioner, it is traditional to refer to her or him as “Madame Commissioner” or “Mister Commissioner”.
• Photography 1: A professional photographer will be taking photos at the ceremony.  Approximately two weeks after the celebration, these photos will be shared via a link to the Award’s private Flickr account.  Recipients are welcome to download these photos at no charge.  Depending on the celebration, recipients and guests may be permitted to take respectful photos during the ceremony (i.e. must remain seated, no selfies with dignitaries and no flash photography).
• Photography 2: As with all Award events, photographs and/or video will be taken. By taking part in this event, recipients and their guests grant The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Canada full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/recording and any reproductions or adaptations of the image for fundraising, publicity or other purposes. This includes responses and photos submitted in the registration process.  This may include (but is not limited to) the right to use them in printed and online publicity, social media, press releases and funding applications.  Should recipients or their guests have any other questions about the usage of photographs and/or video, please email awardcelebration@dukeofed.org.

Each Gold Award Recipient is permitted to bring two guests. This provides a healthy balance of maximizing the number of Award Holders who can attend the celebration as well as still providing the Award Holder a reasonable number of guests to share in their special day.

Gold Award Recipients confirmed to attend a celebration will be sent a link for guests to purchase their tickets.  Please do not exceed the maximum number of guests allowed for each specific event.

Guest names are submitted with the celebration registration form; however, guest names can be revised by emailing awardcelebration@dukeofed.org. Please include the full name and email address for your revised guest.

Only those on the guest list will be permitted to attend the ceremony.

Those who have lived in the UK for 18 consecutive months may be eligible to attend a Gold Ceremony in the UK.

If you have lived in the UK for 18 consecutive months, kindly email support@dukeofed.org to receive the eligibility form.  Once the form is complete, Award Canada will forward it to the UK office for approval.  If approved, you will be contacted directly by the UK Office and be placed on their Gold Celebration Wait List. Once you have been placed on their wait list, you will be removed from the Canadian one. For more information regarding UK Gold Celebrations, please visit www.dofe.org/do/gaps/

Those who would like to attend a Gold Celebration while on holiday in the UK are not eligible.