Gold Award celebration events

Your Gold Award Certificate will be posted to you in the month following your Gold Award completion and it will be sent to the address registered on the ‘Gold Award celebration event’ page of your eDofE account. This will be accompanied by your choice of a Gold badge or brooch.

We can only issue one Gold badge or brooch per Gold Award holder and you can select your preference on the ‘Gold Award celebration event’ page of your eDofE account at the time of completing your Gold Award.

Gold Award Certificates are not presented as part of Gold Award celebration events, and you don’t need to bring your certificate with you to your event.

Please remember to wear your badge or brooch on the day of your celebration event. If your guest also has a DofE Award, we’d encourage them to wear their badge/brooch too!

If you don’t receive your Certificate or badge/brooch within two months of achieving your Gold Award, please email GoldAwardCelebrations@DofE.org.

If you don’t wish to attend a Gold Award celebration event then you can request to receive your Gold Award Certificate in a bespoke certificate presentation folder. The folder includes a photograph of our founder HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and our Trustee and Patron HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh together at Windsor Castle, as well as a statement of congratulations from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

This unique folder is only available to those who choose not to attend a celebration event and isn’t available to purchase. You can choose to receive a folder at the time of achieving your Gold Award, or you can request to come off the invitation list and receive the folder at any time by emailing GoldAwardCelebrations@DofE.org.

Gold Award events take place on weekdays and usually fall within term time.

• In London, events usually take place in May
• In Scotland, events usually take place in July
• In Northern Ireland, events can take place at any time of the year.

You choose which location you’d like to attend your Gold Award celebration event in at the time of completing your Gold Award. If you wish to change your chosen location, please contact us by emailing GoldAwardCelebrations@DofE.org.

Once your Gold Award has been approved by your Licensed Organisation and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, you’ll automatically be added to the invitation list to attend an event at your chosen location.

You’ll receive an automated email once your Award has been signed off and the Events Team will subsequently be in touch to let you know when you should expect to receive an invitation to attend an event and to check the details for where to send your Gold Award Certificate and badge / brooch. Please ensure the details on the ‘Gold Award celebration event’ page of your eDofE account are kept up to date so that we can keep in touch with you.

We’ll invite you to an event as soon as possible after you achieve your Gold Award. We want all Gold Award holders to receive an invitation to a celebration event within 12 months of achieving their Award, but please be aware that in some circumstances it may take up to 18 months from your Gold Award completion date.

Gold Award holders can remain on the invitation list to attend a celebration event for up to five years after they achieve their Gold Award. If you decline an invitation to an event, you’ll be returned to the invitation list and invited to the next available event in your preferred location.

If you are unable to attend within five years of achieving your Award, you’ll be removed from the invitation list and instead receive a certificate presentation folder through the post.

As we were unable to hold celebration events for a significant period due to the pandemic, all Gold Award holders already on the invitation list who achieved their Gold Award prior to the end of 2020, can remain on the invitation list until the end of 2026.

Please make sure that you make us aware of any changes to your personal details, particularly your email address and home address, to ensure that we can get in touch with you about your event invitation. You can do this on the ‘Gold Award celebration event’ page of your eDofE account. If you don’t have an eDofE account, please email GoldAwardCelebrations@DofE.org so we can update our records.

You can make any amendments to your personal details anytime up to four weeks before your event date. For security reasons, after that time your personal details become locked. If you need to make any changes in the four weeks leading up to your event, please contact the Events Team to discuss your options.

Guests cannot be changed within four weeks of the event.

In London and Northern Ireland, you’re permitted to have one personal guest accompanying you to your celebration event. If you attend an event in Scotland, you’re permitted to bring two guests.

Please check that we have the correct details for your guest and update them on your eDofE account as required – guests cannot be changed within four weeks of the event.

All guests must be over the age of 16.

We’re unable to accommodate requests for additional guests.

If you’d like to attend a Gold Award event with someone from your DofE group or a family member, please let us know when you complete your Gold Award by emailing GoldAwardCelebrations@DofE.org.

In the unlikely event of it being necessary to cancel an event due to unavoidable circumstances, the DofE cannot be held liable for any costs incurred to the Award holder or their guest. Depending on your travel arrangements, you may want to consider purchasing travel insurance that covers UK travel and event cancellation. Please check your policy thoroughly to ensure that it covers your travel expenses and/or hotel costs.

When the date is confirmed for the next available celebration event in your chosen venue, the Events Team will initially let you know by email using the email address registered on the ‘Gold Award celebration event’ page of your eDofE account. They will send a reminder email if they don’t hear back from you.

If there is no response to the emails, a letter will be sent to the address registered on the ‘Gold Award celebration event’ page of your eDofE account. If there’s still no response, we’ll assume you don’t wish to attend an event and we’ll remove you from the invitation list. You’ll receive a Gold Award certificate presentation folder through the post, and will be unable to join the invitation list at a later date.

To reply to an invitation, log in to your eDofE account (eDofE.org) and click the “Accept” or “Decline” button on the “Gold Award celebration event” page. This is also where you can check the personal details for you and your guest and make any updates that are required.

If you have a question not answered here or in the specific Gold Award venue pages, you can contact the Events Team

01753 727431
GoldAwardCelebrations@DofE.org.

(Monday – Friday 10.00-16.00)
Please do not call outside of these hours.