4-H Recognition Program

“It’s great to be recognized!”

Whether you’re a youth or an adult volunteer, if you’re doing great 4-H work, there are lots of ways to be recognized for it! Check with your county to see which opportunities are available where you live. 

Youth recognition
Project medals

While each county establishes its own criteria for giving these medals, if you are an outstanding member between the ages of 11 and 13, you may be especially likely to be considered for one of the medals which celebrates your excellent work in a particular project area. There is no general application process, but each county may have a process of their own for determining medal recipients.

Michigan 4-H Key Club Award

The 4-H Key Club Award is intended to be the top county 4-H honor, and selections are made at the county level. To be eligible, a 4-H member must:

  • Be 15 years old by the beginning of the project year (September 1)
  • Have completed three calendar years of club work as of January 1 of the current year
  • Have completed 4-H projects in at least two project areas
  • Have completed a teen leadership project
  • Have participated in three regional or state 4-H events
  • Be recommended by his or her 4-H leader

You may download the Application for Michigan 4-H Key Club Award here.

State 4-H Awards Program

If you are a 4-H’er aged 13 and up with at least three years of 4-H experience, the Michigan State 4-H Awards Program might be your chance to gain leadership skills, practice interviewing, improve your writing skills, build your self-esteem and compete for recognition in more than 30 project areas.

The Michigan State 4-H Awards Program includes county-, regional- and state-level competition. To participate, you would submit completed individual or group awards application forms to your county MSU Extension staff by March 1, 2011. The applications are evaluated on the county level and submitted for regional competition. Regional winners are selected by early April. Regional winners can compete for state-level honors in one project area.

Download the Michigan State 4-H Awards Program forms and documents here:

    State winners are selected during the 4-H Awards Assembly, held at MSU during 4-H Exploration Days in June. Selection is based on the awards application and an interview. Winners are announced at the 4-H Awards Celebration, which is held on Thursday night of 4-H Exploration Days.

    Regional winners in the Michigan 4-H Awards Program receive certificates of accomplishment. State winners receive $100 cash awards and plaques. The State 4-H Awards Program is a great way to meet others from across the state who are active in the same 4-H projects.

    4-H Mark of Excellence Award

    If you are 11 or 12 years old, you could be the recipient of the 4-H Mark of Excellence Award. This is an essay contest that recognizes county representatives during the 4-H Awards Celebration at 4-H Exploration Days.

    To enter, you write an essay on that year’s theme (see the “Mark of Excellence Information Sheet” for the theme). Counties select their representatives and submit names and essays to the State 4-H Awards Committee for inclusion in the program. Contact your county MSU Extension office for contest guidelines.

    Download the 4-H Mark of Excellence forms and documents here:

    Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

    If you are a 4-H’er in 5th to 12th grade who does a lot of volunteer activities, you may want to apply for a Prudential Spirit of Community Award, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. You can apply online at http://spirit.prudential.com or www.principals.org/spirit. Applications must be submitted to a county 4-H educator by November 1, 2011. For more information visit Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

    Volunteer recognition

    Michigan 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards

    The Michigan 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards highlight the important work of 4-H volunteers across the state. Volunteers are, undeniably, the “heart and soul” of 4-H, and in an age when time is at a premium, the Michigan 4-H Salute to Excellence Award serves as an opportunity to acknowledge our volunteers’ unwavering dedication to Michigan 4-H Youth Development. These awards honor outstanding volunteers for their dedication to youth. There are two categories for nominations:

    • The Lifetime Volunteer Award is presented to a 4-H volunteer with more than ten years of service.
    • The Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to a 4-H volunteer with ten years of service or less.

    These awards are patterned after the national 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards. Currently, Michigan 4-H does not have an organized system for providing state, regional or national recognition to its volunteers.  Instituting this award in Michigan provides us with this opportunity and assists in the identification and selection of individuals to be nominated for the national Lifetime Volunteer Award and Volunteer of the Year Award.

    Each year, counties are invited to nominate two outstanding individual volunteers, one in each of two categories. A state winner and runner up will be selected in each category. Recipients of the Michigan 4-H Salute to Excellence Volunteer Recognition Awards will be chosen from nominees submitted by county 4-H offices.  Each year the recipients of the Michigan 4-H Lifetime Volunteer Award and the 4-H Volunteer of the Year Award will be submitted for regional and national recognition honors. Recipients of each award will be presented with a plaque and asked to designate a 4-H program, club or activity to be the recipient of a $400 monetary award in their name. Awardees will also have their name engraved on the Salute to Excellence Perpetual Plaques to be located at Kettunen Center in Tustin Michigan. 

    Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award

    Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in AgricultureThe Michigan Farm Bureau 4-H Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes outstanding achievements of Michigan 4-H volunteers or groups that have exhibited excellence in 4-H youth education and leadership development in the areas of 4-H beef cattle; dairy cattle; goats; horses; horticulture, crops and soils; poultry; rabbits; sheep; swine; and veterinary science. Honorees choose where their $1,000 recognition award will go to advance Michigan 4-H youth development programming
    in agriculture. Visit the Michigan 4-H Foundation web site for the application materials.

    Contact

    Jacob DeDecker, Ph.D., 4-H Program Leader
    Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    Phone: 517-432-7604

    4-H Youth Development | Agriculture Hall | 446 W. Circle Drive Room 160 | East Lansing, MI, 48824 | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)