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OA Awards and Recognition Overview
The Order of the Arrow (OA) provides opportunities for its members to excel and be recognized for their accomplishments. These recognitions are provided at two levels of the organization, either at the local lodge level or at the National level. Individual members may be recognized or entire lodges. The awards and honors provided here are standard throughout the organization. Individual lodges may form and provide their own local awards such as “Brother of the Year”, “Most Active Arrowman”, and other achievement awards.
Nomination Forms: The web form will state when nominations are due and open.
- Nominate a deserving Arrowman for either the Vigil Honor or an Award. All Nominations are due at the start of the Lodge Executive Committee meeting at our Fall Ordeal.
Lodge Level Recognition
A’la Award
Presented to those individuals who have provided exceptional service to the Lodge on the Council or District level. Up to 6 A’la awards may be given each year, based on total Lodge membership of 1 for every 300 active members. At least 50% of the awards must be given to youth, or to an adult for youth service.
Click here to see past recipients of the A’La Award.
Axe Award
Presented to those members who have provided exceptional service to the Council’s camps and trails in the form of construction and / or maintenance. Service to the Council on the Camping Committee should be given high consideration. A maximum of 4 Axe awards may be given each year. The award is normally given only to adults as it would be very difficult for a youth to provide the long term service expected.
Click here to see past recipients of the Axe Award.
Camp Builder Award
The Camp Builder Award is given to Arrowmen and non-Order of the Arrow members, who have taken on the responsibility to complete camp projects requiring planning, construction, volunteer work coordination, and material purchasing.
Click here to see the past recipients of the Camp Builder Award.
Naatavi Award
The Naatavi Award is a Lodge level award created in 1995 to honor those Arrowmen who provide outstanding service to their Lodge, and exhibit outstanding spirit in the support of Lodge traditions and culture. Naatavi, which means “Volunteer to make the Lodge better,” is given by the Lodge Adviser to members who have given consistent service over at least and eight year period for an adult, and a three year period for a youth.
Tomahawk Award
The Tomahawk Award is given to non-Order of the Arrow members who have contributed significantly to the construction or maintenance of Council camps and trails, or who have contributed many hours of service to the Lodge.
Lifetime Award
The Lifetime Award is a Lodge level award given to members for exceptional service and devotion to the Lodge consistently during a period of twenty years or greater. Once a member receives a Lifetime Service Award, he or she is no longer required to pay dues to the Lodge. The member must still maintain his or her membership in Scouting to maintain active status in the Lodge.
Click here to see past recipients of the Lifetime Award.
National Level Order of the Arrow Recognition
Vigil Honor
Alertness to the needs of others is the mark of the Vigil Honor. It calls for an individual with an unusual awareness of the possibilities within each situation.
The Vigil Honor is the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for exceptional service to lodge, council, community and Scouting. Membership cannot be won by a person’s conscious endeavors.
The Vigil Honor is a high mark of distinction and recognition reserved for those Arrowmen who, by reason of exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest, have made distinguished contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their position of office to one or more of the following:
- Order of the Arrow
- Scouting community
- Scout Camp
- Community
Under NO circumstances should tenure in Scouting or the Order of the Arrow be considered as reason enough for a Vigil Honor recommendation.
Any member of the Order of the Arrow registered in Scouting and in good standing in a regularly chartered lodge is eligible for recommendation to the National Order of the Arrow Committee for elevation to the Vigil Honor provided that, at the time of the recommendation, the individual has been a Brotherhood member for a minimum of two years.
A lodge may nominate a maximum of two percent of their registered Arrowmen once a year, through the Vigil Honor petition, found in the annual re-charter packet. At least 50 percent of all nominated must be under 21 at the time of nomination.
The Vigil Nomination form is provided at the top of this page.
Order of the Arrow Founder’s Award
The Founder’s Award was introduced at the 1981 National Order of the Arrow Conference. The Founder’s Award recognizes Arrowmen who have given outstanding service to their Lodge. The award is reserved for an Arrowman who demonstrates that he or she personifies the spirit of selfless service, as advocated by founder E. Urner Goodman and cofounder Carroll A. Edson.
Click here to see past recipients of the Founder’s Award.
Order of the Arrow Distinguished Service Award
(Award For Section, Territory, Region, And National Service to the Order of the Arrow)
The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) was created in 1940 to honor Arrowmen who rendered service to the Order of the Arrow beyond the Lodge level. The award is presented to Arrowmen who have rendered distinguished and outstanding service to the Order on a Sectional, Regional, or National basis. The DSA is presented at the National Order of the Arrow Conferences.
The following members of Wipala Wiki Lodge, and its predecessor Lodges, have received the Distinguished Service Award (in order of presentation from 1970 – today):
- Roger Billica
- Roscoe R. Bryant
- John B. Forrest, Jr.
- William R. Bryant
- Michael G. Hoffman
- Dave Avant
- W. Jack Stephens
- Kevin Moshier
- Matthew J. F. Laudone
- P. Eugene Wadford
- Patrick J. Murphy
- Kieran Thompson
- Chad Wolver
- Calvin Fulks
- Joe Garcia II
- Michael Minnis
- Kelsey Files