Awards

County Level

County Recognition Handbook

Check out all of the awards offered through the Berrien County 4-H program below. Nomination forms and applications are due in September of each year. No late submission accepted. Nomination forms are ONLY requested to be filled out by Club Coordinators/Administrative Leaders. Club Coordinators/Administrative Leaders will receive a recognition packet via mail in July/August of each year with youth eligibility and verification.

Member and Leader Recognition Handbook

4-H Member Award Forms

4-H Club Award Forms

Club Award Application

4-H Club Coordinator Nomination Forms

4-H Leader Awards

Outstanding 4-H Leader Nomination Form

Member and Leader Recognition Banquet - Stay tuned for date and details soon!

Date: November 10, 2024
Time:
Location:
Event Invitation:

State Level - Member

MI 4-H State Award

A 4-H State Award is the highest honor bestowed on a Michigan 4-H member. 4-H State Award winners become part of an elite group of 4-H youth who have demonstrated the highest level of excellence in learning, leadership, and service. The purpose of this awards program is to provide 4-H youth a learning opportunity where they can receive recognition while developing important life skills. Through the experience, members apply skills in communication, organization, and self-motivation.

A select number of 4-H State Award applicants are invited to attend the prestigious 4-H State Award Recognition Event held during 4-H Exploration Days as State Award delegates. 4-H State Award delegates are selected through an application process that showcases their knowledge, skills and experiences in their chosen 4-H project area. Participation in the State Awards Program helps all applicants develop workforce preparation skills such as communication, time management, goal setting, and record keeping.

Recognition for 4-H State Award winners include a plaque and cash award. The program recognizes 4-H members in 19 project areas in both junior (13-15 years old) and senior (16-19 years old) age divisions, as well as a group award area (13-19 years old). Application forms are due by April 1 of each year.

Eligibility and Application Forms

4-H Mark of Excellence Award

The 4-H Mark of Excellence Award is a division of the 4-H State Awards Program for 11 and 12-year-old 4-H members.

To enter, a 4-H member writes an essay on the theme, “Because of 4-H I can …” Essays are submitted to the local county MSU Extension office by April 1. County 4-H programs then select up to two youths’ essays as their representatives and submit those names and essays to the State 4-H Awards Committee.

Eligibility and Forms

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.

State Level - Leader/Volunteer

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

The 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 website for the application materials.