Award Ceremonies

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 timelier manner.

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

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

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

November 2018 was the last time a member of the Royal Family attended a Gold Ceremony in Canada.  In the fall of 2019, the Award Canada announced that the Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners of Canada will begin presiding at Gold Ceremonies.    

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 Ceremonies on a regular basis across Canada as evidenced by numerous ceremonies since November 2019.  

The Royal Family remain passionate supporters of the Award, and we look forward to restructuring their engagement to include other (non-ceremony) events – in particular, events that involve registered members of the Award’s Global Award Alumni Network (GAAN). 

Each ceremony is open to anyone on the Gold Ceremony 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 Ceremony in a timely manner.

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

An email notification is sent from awardcelebration@dukeofed.org, via our MailChimp account to the Gold Ceremony Waiting List approximately eight weeks before a scheduled ceremony.  The email notification will have ceremony 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 ceremonies will have a two week registration period.  Once registration is closed, official invitations are sent via Paperless Post.

If there are more registrations than spots available at a Gold Ceremony, a waiting list is created for that specific ceremony.  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 ceremony 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.

One to two days after registration has closed, those selected will receive an official invitation courtesy of our Paperless Post account.  Those who have been placed on the waiting list specific to that ceremony will be notified that they have been placed on this waiting list via an email from awardcelebration@dukeofed.org.

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

Yes, three to four days before the ceremony 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: Business attire is recommended. 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 one week after the ceremony, 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 ceremony, recipients and guests may be permitted to take respectful photos during the ceremony (i.e. must remain seated 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 Award Holder is permitted to bring two  guests.  This provides a healthy balance of maximizing the number of Award Holders who can attend the ceremony as well as still providing the Award Holder a reasonable number of guests to share in their special day.

Many ceremonies are held at intimate venues meaning the number of people attending will equal the maximum number of people permitted under the building’s fire code. Please do not exceed the maximum number of guests allowed for each specific event.

Guest names are submitted with the ceremony 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.  

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

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

Once you have lived in the UK for 18 consecutive months, kindly email support@dukeofed.org to receive the eligibility form.  Once the form is completed, 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 Ceremony 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 Ceremonies, please visit www.dofe.org/do/gaps/ 

 The UK Office conducts a thorough review of each eligibility form.  There are typically only three to five Canadians who attend a UK Gold Ceremony each year.  The majority of these Canadians have either moved to the UK permanently or are attending school in the UK.  All have met the “living in the UK for 18 consecutive months” requirement.  

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

Note: For ceremonies in the United Kingdom, Award Holders are only permitted to bring one guest.