Square knot insignia

Square knot insignia
Square knot insignia
	Square knot ; Figure-eight knot ;
	Scouting portal

Square knot insignia are embroidered cloth patches that represent awards of the Scout associations throughout the world.

The Scout Association of the United Kingdom uses a "figure-eight" knot and many Scouting organizations of the Commonwealth countries follow suit. The World Organization of the Scout Movement uses military-style ribbons. The Boy Scouts of America a square knot made of colored ropes is depicted; the colors are generally dictated by the award the insignia is associated with.^[1]^[2]

History

In the earliest days of the Scouting Movement military veterans were urged into service as Scoutmasters. The first Scout uniforms therefore resembled military uniforms. It was common for these veterans to wear their military decorations on their modified Boy Scout uniform — a national uniform was not to be developed until the early 1920s.^[2]

Military tradition dictated that the actual medal from a military award was only worn on ceremonial occasions — at other times, it was replaced with a thin ribbon bar with the same ribbon style as found attached to the medal. This carried over to Scouting, whose awards were medals, similar to the military, but were most often worn as ribbons.

The first country to switch over from military ribbons to a unique parallel was the United Kingdom, which introduced its knot emblems in 1922.^[3]

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America likewise moved away from allowing Scouters to wear military ribbons, but kept the style, introducing their own ribbons in place of medals in 1934. The BSA introduced its own square knot insignia in lieu of the military-style ribbons in 1947. The choice of the square knot as the common emblem was made by James E. West, who is said to have chosen it for its use as the knot associated with first aid, thereby reminding Scouts to continue to be of service to others.^[2]

The first eight awards with square knot insignia in the BSA were the Eagle Scout Award, Quartermaster Award, Scouter's Training Award, Scouter's Key, Silver Beaver Award, Silver Antelope Award, Silver Buffalo Award, and Honor Medal.

Since the introduction of square knot insignia, over forty new awards have been added, then combined, and some retired. Currently, there are 32 nationally authorized square knot insignia representing various medals, medallions, certificates, plaques, and other awards.

There are a few cases of local Council-approved square knots and various popular unofficial or spoof knots.

In the BSA, square knot insignia are worn in rows of three across the top of the wearer's left pocket. Though there is no rule limiting the number of such insignia that may be worn, some suggest limiting to three rows of three. When fewer than three knots are worn in a particular row, knots are generally centered to the pocket, or the row below.^[4]

Dates indicated in the chart below indicate the use of the square knot insignia for the particular award, and may not correspond to the history of the award itself. For example, the first Eagle Scout Award was presented in 1912, and there was a ribbon bar for it from 1934. It was among the first eight awards given square knot insignia in 1947, so that later date is indicated.

Achievement Awards

These awards are generally earned by the Scouts themselves.
These represent the highest youth rank or achievement in each respective program of the BSA.

Title	Started	Description
Arrow of Light (Cub Scouts)	1979	Highest rank of the Cub Scouting program (ages 5-11)
Eagle Scout (Scouts BSA)	1947	Highest rank of the Scouting program (ages 11-18)
Eagle Scout with Life Membership in NESA	2008	Indicates lifetime membership in the National Eagle Scout Association
Quartermaster Award (Sea Scouts)	1947	Highest rank in the Sea Scouting program (ages 14-21)
Silver Award / Summit Award (Venturing)	1999	Highest rank in the Venturing program (ages 14-21)

Distinguished service

These awards are generally granted via nomination and review; they cannot be earned or applied for by Scouts or Scouters directly.

Title	Started	Description
Unit Leader Award of Merit	2010	Unit-level quality leader recognition award
District Award of Merit	1971	District-level distinguished service award
Silver Beaver Award	1947	Council-level distinguished service award
Silver Antelope Award	1947	Territory-level distinguished service award
Silver Buffalo Award	1947	National-level distinguished service award
Silver World Award	1976	International-level distinguished service award

Heroism

These awards are generally granted via nomination and review; they cannot be earned or applied for by Scouts or Scouters directly.

Title	Started	Description
Medal of Merit	1952	Performed an act of service of a rare or exceptional character that reflects an uncommon degree of concern for the well-being of others.
Heroism Award	1983	Demonstrated heroism and skill in averting serious injury or saving or attempting to save life at minimum risk to self. Discontinued late 2012; reinstated February 2018
Honor Medal	1947	Demonstrated unusual heroism and skill or resourcefulness in saving or attempting to save life at considerable risk to self. Awarded with crossed palms for situations with extreme risk to self.

Leadership and training

These awards are generally earned by the Scouters themselves.

Insignia	Title	Started	Description
	Den Leader Training Award	1989
	Scouter's Training Award	1947
	Scouter's Key	1947
	Commissioner Award of Excellence in Unit Service	2011
	Doctorate of Commissioner Science	2008
	Philmont Training Center Masters Track Award	2008
	Professional Training Award	1980

Specialized achievements

These awards are generally earned by the Scouts and Scouters themselves.
In one case (James E. West Fellowships) nomination by others is also possible.

Title	Started	Description
Youth Religious Emblems^[5]	1971
Distinguished Conservation Service Award	2020	Replaced William T. Hornaday Awards
James E. West Fellowship	1993
International Scouter Award	2002
William D. Boyce New-Unit Organizer Award	2005
Alumni Award	2011

Specialized service recognition

These awards are generally granted via nomination and review; they cannot be earned or applied for by Scouts or Scouters directly.

Title	Started	Description
Adult Religious Awards^[6]	1973
Order of the Arrow Distinguished Service Award	1976	Distinguished service to OA
Distinguished Commissioner Service Award	1987	Unit/district/council distinguished commissioner service
Community Organization Awards^[7]	2002
Venturing Leadership Award	2004
Scouting Service Award ^[8]	2017	Incorporates - Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award, Scouting ... Vale la pena! Service Award, Asian American Spirit of Scouting Service Award, American Indian Scouting Association Grey Wolf Award, Special Needs Scouting Service Award

Discontinued

These awards have been completely discontinued or combined and represented by current award knots.

Title	Started	Ended	Description
William T. Hornaday Medals	1991	2020	Superseded by Distinguished Conservation Service Award
Skipper's Key	1947	1949	Superseded by Scouter's Key
Exploring Ranger Award	1933	1951	Superseded by "Ranger" bar
Air Scout Ace Award	1950	1954
Exploring Silver Award	1954	1958
Exploring Awards Knot^[9]	1954	1998
William H. Spurgeon III Award^[10]	1989	2007	Recognition for individuals and organizations contributing significant leadership to the Exploring program^[10]
Scoutmaster Award of Merit	1987	2010	Superseded by Unit Leader Award of Merit
Venturing Advisor / Varsity Coach Award of Merit	1999	2010	Superseded by Unit Leader Award of Merit
Pack Trainer Award	2006	2011	Superseded by Scouter's Training Award^[11]
Cubmaster Award	1989	2012	Superseded by Scouter's Key
Cub Scouter Award	1989	2012	Superseded by Scouter's Training Award
Den Leader Coach Award	1989	2012	Superseded by Den Leader Training Award
Webelos Den Leader Award	1989	2012	Superseded by Den Leader Training Award
Tiger Cub Den Leader Award	1992	2012	Superseded by Den Leader Training Award
George Meany Award	1987	2011	Incorporated in Community Organization Award
Sea Badge	1989	2012	Superseded by Seabadge Trident pin
Asian American Spirit of Scouting Service Award	2003	2016	Incorporated in Scouting Service Award
¡Scouting...Vale la Pena! Service Award	2003	2016	Incorporated in Scouting Service Award
Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award	1989	2016	Incorporated in Scouting Service Award
Speakers Bank Award	2007	2011	Discontinued

The Scout Association (UK)

The British Scout Association introduced the idea of a cloth 'knot' insignia in 1922, modeled after the military use of ribbons to represent medals and other citations. Many of the Scouting organizations of the Commonwealth of Nations either copy the British system or simply use the British awards and insignia.

Gallantry

Title	Started	Description
Bronze Cross	Year	Desc
Silver Cross	Year	Desc
Gilt Cross	Year	Desc
Cornwell Scout Badge	Year	Desc

Meritorious Conduct

Title	Started	Description

Medal for Meritorious Conduct	Year	Desc
Chief Scout's Commendation for Meritorious Conduct	Year	Desc

Service

Title	Started	Description
Silver Wolf	Year	Desc
Silver Acorn	Year	Desc
Award for Merit	Year	Desc
Chief Scout's Commendation for Good Service	Year	Desc
Chief Scout's Personal Award	Year	Desc
Commissioner's Commendation Award	Year	Desc
Length of Service Decoration	Year	Desc

World Organization of the Scout Movement

Insignia	Title	Started	Description
	Bronze Wolf Award	1935	The World Organization of the Scout Movement offers only one award to scouters, the Bronze Wolf Award and it is considered the highest honor that can be bestowed on an adult scout leader throughout the world. There is approximately one award given for every 2,000,000 scouts.

External links

"Awards Central". Scouting.org. Boy Scouts of America.
"Awards-Knots". U.S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
Crowl, George. "Illustrated History of BSA Square Knot Evolution". BSA Badge History.
Crowl, George. "Knots, Pins, and Insignia of the Boy Scouts of America". Crowl Family Webpages. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
Kauffmann, Michael. "Scouter Knots". MeritBadge.org. Archived from the original on March 10, 2019.
Walton, Mike. "Knot Emblems of the BSA". Badge and Uniform Site.

References

^ "Guide to Awards and Insignia". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Square Knot Insignia used by the Boy Scouts of America". October 1, 1999. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
^ Crowl, George (2005). Knot Awards of Non-US Scouting Associations (11 ed.). Jersey Village, TX. p. 5. Retrieved March 27, 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ "In the Loop: A Guide to Square Knots and How to Wear Them". October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
^ As of March 2018, there were 36 religions and denominations that sponsored religious emblems programs for youth, many with different emblems for different ages of youth. This knot represents any of those.
^ "Adult Religious Awards". US Scouting Service Project. As of March 2018, there were 34 religions and churches or denominations which sponsored awards for adult service to scouting in that faith. This knot represents any of those 34 distinct awards, which are not offered by scouting, but by the church or religion itself.
^ "Community Organization Awards". Boy Scouts of America. As of March 2018, there were 20 secular community organizations which sponsored awards for adult service to scouting in that organization. This knot represents any of those 20 distinct awards, which are not offered by Scouting, but by the community organization itself.
^ "Scouting Service Award Combines Five Awards into One Cool Square Knot". February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017. As of March 2018, there were 5 distinct awards represented by this knot, each focused on service to a particular, traditionally under-served demographic: African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, Native American, and Special Needs youth.
^ This knot has represented several different awards, many overlapping: Silver Award 1954-1986; Ranger 1978-1996; Ace 1978-1996; Explorer Achievement Award 1986-1995; Young American Award 1995-1996; Exploring G.O.L.D. Award 1995-1998.
^ ^a ^b "William H. Spurgeon Award" (PDF). Exploring. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
^ "Update on Training Awards for Adult Unit Leaders". jayhawkcouncil.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020.

[BSA-1] "Guide to Awards and Insignia". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved June 10, 2013.

[walton-2] "Square Knot Insignia used by the Boy Scouts of America". October 1, 1999. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2007.

[3] Crowl, George (2005). Knot Awards of Non-US Scouting Associations (11 ed.). Jersey Village, TX. p. 5. Retrieved March 27, 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[Bryan-4] "In the Loop: A Guide to Square Knots and How to Wear Them". October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2017.

[5] As of March 2018, there were 36 religions and denominations that sponsored religious emblems programs for youth, many with different emblems for different ages of youth. This knot represents any of those.

[6] "Adult Religious Awards". US Scouting Service Project. As of March 2018, there were 34 religions and churches or denominations which sponsored awards for adult service to scouting in that faith. This knot represents any of those 34 distinct awards, which are not offered by scouting, but by the church or religion itself.

[7] "Community Organization Awards". Boy Scouts of America. As of March 2018, there were 20 secular community organizations which sponsored awards for adult service to scouting in that organization. This knot represents any of those 20 distinct awards, which are not offered by Scouting, but by the community organization itself.

[Bryan2-8] "Scouting Service Award Combines Five Awards into One Cool Square Knot". February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017. As of March 2018, there were 5 distinct awards represented by this knot, each focused on service to a particular, traditionally under-served demographic: African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, Native American, and Special Needs youth.

[9] This knot has represented several different awards, many overlapping: Silver Award 1954-1986; Ranger 1978-1996; Ace 1978-1996; Explorer Achievement Award 1986-1995; Young American Award 1995-1996; Exploring G.O.L.D. Award 1995-1998.

[Spurgeon-10] "William H. Spurgeon Award" (PDF). Exploring. Retrieved February 3, 2018.

[11] "Update on Training Awards for Adult Unit Leaders". jayhawkcouncil.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020.

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Scouting portal

History

Boy Scouts of America

Achievement Awards

Distinguished service

Heroism

Leadership and training

Specialized achievements

Specialized service recognition

Discontinued

The Scout Association (UK)

Gallantry

Meritorious Conduct

Service

World Organization of the Scout Movement

External links

Further reading

References