Congressional Award · Free to log

The Congressional Award tracker

Plan your level, then log every hour in the area it belongs to. Your hours and your months of activity are counted for each area, from the Bronze Certificate to the Gold Medal, so your Record Book is ready when you are.

Start tracking free Plan your level

Independent tracker, not affiliated with the Congressional Award Foundation.

LevelServicePers. dev.FitnessMonths
Bronze Certificate30 h15 h15 hnone
Silver Certificate60 h30 h30 hnone
Gold Certificate90 h45 h45 h6
Bronze Medal100 h50 h50 h7
Silver Medal200 h100 h100 h12
Gold Medal400 h200 h200 h24
Free planner

How many hours a week does your level take?

Pick a level and your dates. You get the weekly hours in each area and the earliest month you can finish, given the month requirement.

Congressional Award planner

Pick a finish date after your start date.

Track the Bronze Medal free Hours and months in every area, counted for you as you log.

New since October 15, 2026: For Silver and Gold Medal Record Books submitted on or after October 15, 2026, you receive the physical medal for the level you submitted. A physical medal for a lower level you skipped costs $145.

Every level

Certificates and medals, step by step

The levels are cumulative: hours and months you log for one level count toward the next.

certificate

Bronze Certificate

30 h service, 15 h personal development, 15 h fitness (60 h). Expedition: 1 day.

Bronze Certificate requirements
certificate

Silver Certificate

60 h service, 30 h personal development, 30 h fitness (120 h). Expedition: 2 days.

Silver Certificate requirements
certificate

Gold Certificate

90 h service, 45 h personal development, 45 h fitness (180 h), over at least 6 months. Expedition: 3 days.

Gold Certificate requirements
medal

Bronze Medal

100 h service, 50 h personal development, 50 h fitness (200 h), over at least 7 months. Expedition: 2 days, 1 night.

Bronze Medal requirements
medal

Silver Medal

200 h service, 100 h personal development, 100 h fitness (400 h), over at least 12 months. Expedition: 3 days, 2 nights.

Silver Medal requirements
medal

Gold Medal

400 h service, 200 h personal development, 200 h fitness (800 h), over at least 24 months. Expedition: 5 days, 4 nights.

Gold Medal requirements
Before you start

The rules that apply at every level

  • You can register at 13½, submit your first Record Book at 14, and must finish your activities before your 24th birthday.
  • Registration is a one-time $35 fee. Hours count from the day you register, your Activity Start Date; earlier activities do not.
  • Pick an Advisor before you register, and a Validator for each goal. Neither can be a family member.
  • Every level needs goals in all four areas, and each area needs both its hours and its months of activity.
  • A month of activity is a month with at least one hour in that area. Months do not have to be consecutive, and each counts once per area.
  • No more than 8 hours count in one day, and no activity can count in two areas or earn class credit.
  • Each Record Book can hold at most 4 Voluntary Public Service goals, 2 Personal Development goals, 2 Physical Fitness goals and 1 expedition.
  • You submit the Record Book on Submittable. Reviews generally take 6 to 8 weeks; Gold Medal books can take longer.
The four areas

What counts in each area

From the official Program Book. When in doubt, ask your Advisor before you log the hours.

Voluntary Public Service

Sharing your time and talents for the benefit of others, with hands-on volunteering in your community.

Counts

  • volunteering for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which will likely count if the other rules are met;
  • common choices: community clean-ups, hospitals and schools, libraries, shelters and food banks.

Watch out

  • No private or for-profit businesses, such as a law firm, doctor’s office, sports camp, private dance studio or private school.
  • Non-partisan only: no political campaigns, elected officials’ offices, political action committees or 501(c)(4) groups.
  • Indirect service (planning, meetings, organizing, training, research, fundraising) can be at most 25% of your hours.
  • No pay, no class credit, and no hours you use for a graduation requirement.
  • Service with a religious institution must serve the wider community, with no religious instruction.
  • If an organization charges participants a fee, it counts only if the organization offers financial aid.
Service ideas and the official checker

Personal Development

Pursuing a new interest or taking an existing one to the next level.

Counts

  • reading, music, art, leadership, STEM activities, and spiritual or religious studies;
  • a part-time job if you are a full-time student, extracurricular tutoring or a weekend SAT prep course without class credit, and work on your mental health.

Watch out

  • The goal has to be measurable and challenging for you.
  • Nothing that earns school or class credit or is a class assignment.
Personal development ideas

Physical Fitness

Improving your quality of life through fitness activities.

Counts

  • walking and running, a school or club sport outside class time, general exercise and nutrition;
  • physical therapy, if you are recovering from an injury.

Watch out

  • Goals are about your own well-being, not competition: “become team captain” does not work.
  • Gym or PE class does not count, and neither does your daily routine, like walking to class.
  • Planning and preparing healthy meals can be at most 25% of your fitness hours.
Physical fitness ideas

Expedition/Exploration

Immersing yourself in an unfamiliar environment or culture, on a trip you plan yourself.

Counts

  • a trip you plan and run, with 6 to 8 hours of immersive activity for each day you count;
  • a college visit after February 1, 2024, at most one per day, still within a 6 to 8 hour day; one travel day each way can count.

Watch out

  • No “sign up and go” trips: not shadowing, internships, camps, mission trips, cruises, competitions or conferences.
  • At the medal levels the days and nights must be consecutive, on one trip per Record Book.
  • At the certificate levels you can add up several trips.
  • Adults can help and come along, but you do most of the planning.
12 expedition ideas
Plan each part

Goals, the trip and who signs

Free guides for the parts students ask about most, checked against the official Program Book.

Goal examples

24 goals for service, personal development and fitness that fit the Program Book rules.

Read guide

Expedition ideas

12 trips that count, what to write in your Record Book, and the virtual option.

Read guide

Advisor and Validators

Who can serve, a message to ask one, and the order of the validation requests.

Read guide

The Record Book

How to fill it out on Submittable, the December 31 form deadline, and the mistakes that bring revisions.

Read guide

Printable activity log

A PDF log for the three hour areas, with months of activity and an expedition plan.

Download
My Award Tracker

Why students track it here

  • A bar for each area with the hours left and the weekly pace, plus the months of activity counted for you.
  • Counted from your Activity Start Date. Set the day you registered and earlier activities are left out, as the Program Book requires.
  • A Record Book helper. When you are ready to submit, your hours, months of activity, organizations, Validators and your own notes are laid out the way the Record Book on Submittable asks. The answers stay yours to write.
  • Supervisors confirm by email, so each entry already has the person who can validate it on Submittable.
  • Your notes in one place: what you did and what you learned, ready to copy into your Record Book.
  • Free to log. Every feature is free for the first 30 days.
Start tracking free Full requirements guide
Questions

Congressional Award FAQ

How do I track my Congressional Award hours?

Log every activity with its date, hours and area: Voluntary Public Service, Personal Development or Physical Fitness. Each area needs its hours and, from the Gold Certificate up, a number of months with at least one hour of activity. My Award Tracker counts both for each area as you log.

How many hours is the Congressional Award?

From 60 hours for the Bronze Certificate (30 service, 15 personal development, 15 fitness) to 800 for the Gold Medal (400, 200 and 200), plus an expedition at every level.

How old do you have to be for the Congressional Award?

You can register at 13½ and submit your first Record Book at 14, and you must finish your activities before your 24th birthday.

Do hours from before I registered count?

No. Only activities on or after your Activity Start Date, the day you register, count.

Can I skip straight to a medal?

Yes. You can start at any level, and an approved higher level also recognizes the lower levels it includes. For Silver and Gold Medal Record Books submitted on or after October 15, 2026, a physical medal for a lower level you did not submit separately costs $145.

Is My Award Tracker part of the Congressional Award?

No. It is an independent tracker. You still register, set goals with your Advisor and submit your Record Book through the Congressional Award on Submittable.

Sources

Checked October 25, 2026. Always confirm the current rules at congressionalaward.org.