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Merit badges
First Aid merit badge
Owner	Boy Scouts of America
Created	1910
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Merit badges are awards earned by members of the Boy Scouts of America, based on activities within the area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to examine subjects to determine if they would like to further pursue them as a career or vocation. Originally, the program also introduced Scouts to the life skills of contacting an adult they had not met before, arranging a meeting and then demonstrating their skills, similar to a job or college interview. Increasingly, though, merit badges are earned in a class setting at troop meetings and summer camps.

The award of a merit badge is represented by a circular patch with an image representing the badge's topic. The patches for the Eagle-required merit badges are distinguishable by the silver ring on the outside edge. Merit badges required for Eagle rank can be selected based upon the individual Scout's preferences or conditions. Merit badges are displayed on a sash which can be worn with the Boy Scout uniform on formal occasions. Every year the National Council reviews and updates a certain number of merit badges. There are over 100 merit badges (138 as of December 2022).

Scouting organizations in other countries issue or have issued merit badges, including Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Austria has a program similar to merit badges for certain age groups.

Current badges

The last revision date indicates the date of the latest requirement changes; the copyright or printing dates of merit badge pamphlets may have a different date. The Eagle Scout required merit badges are shaded in gray (see above paragraph for details).

Historical program

Offered only in 2010, the Historical Merit Badge program, part of the Boy Scouts of America centennial, allowed Scouts to earn the discontinued Carpentry, Pathfinding, Signalling, and Tracking (originally called Stalking) merit badges. The patches for these historical merit badges are distinguished by a gold ring on the outside edge. All were based on merit badges that were among the original 57 issued in 1911.

See also

• Discontinued merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
• History of merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
• Original 57 merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)

References

1. "Merit Badges – Boy Scouts of America". www.scouting.org.
2. "Merit Badge Day - MeritBadgeDotOrg". meritbadge.org.
3. "Merit Badge Requirements". US Scouts.org Advancement section. Retrieved February 9, 2006.
4. ^ Wendell, Bryan (February 24, 2021). "2020 merit badge rankings: A list rewritten by the pandemic". Bryan on Scouting. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
5. "Boy Scouts of America Introduces Animation Merit Badge". PR Newswire (Press release). Retrieved May 19, 2015.
6. "Boy Scouts and Lemelson-MIT Program introduce Inventing merit badge". Scouting. June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
7. "Historical merit badges help Boy Scouts celebrate Scouting's past". Scouting. Boy Scouts of America. January 12, 2010. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
8. "Historic Signaling Merit Badge". www.usscouts.org.

Bibliography

• "Merit Badge Library". Boy Scout Requirements. Boy Scouts of America. June 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
• "Current Merit Badge Pamphlet and Merit Badge Requirement Revision Dates". U.S. Scouting Service Project. June 5, 2007. Archived from the original on October 3, 2000. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
• Steve Henning (July 20, 1999). "Merit Badges, Past and Present". Henning's Scouters' Pages. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

External links

• "Introduction to Merit Badges". Boy Scouts of America.

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