The Saltire Awards

The Saltire Awards are an accredited awards scheme for volunteers aged 12-25 years. The awards are designed to recognise the efforts and commitment of young people who have volunteered and having one or more awards looks great on job applications, CV’s or university/college applications.

On completing a Saltire Award you will also receive Young Scot Reward points, which can be redeemed against rewards available on the Young Scot website.

Anyone who wants to sign up for Saltire should register on the Saltire Awards website


What Saltire Awards can I gain?

The Approach: This is designed to introduce young people to more regular, short term volunteering. Certificates are awarded on completion of 10 and 25 hours of volunteering. Once the Approach is completed, you can work your way up to the Ascent.

The Ascent: For those ready to make a longer commitment to volunteering, with certificates being presented on completion of 50, 100, 200 and 500 hours. An Ascent award demonstrates commitment and reliability – both very desirable traits for employers and universities.

The Challenge: This is the award for a team volunteering event and normally consists of a day’s worth of volunteering, taking part in activities such as beach clean ups, gardening projects or fundraising work. It is a stand alone award but young people may participate in more than one challenge. Anyone can organise a Saltire challenge at their school or out in the community. If you are interested in doing this please contact us for more information. Volunteering hours from a Saltire Challenge can be used towards either the Approach or the Ascent awards.

The Summit: This is a prestigious award that young people are nominated for by a volunteering organisation, in recognition of an outstanding contribution to volunteering. It is awarded to those who have not only completed an ‘Ascent’ but have also exceeded expectations in some way. The nominations are reviewed by a panel of Saltire Ambassadors. There are less than 12 Summit Awards given out each year.


Saltire Ambassadors

The Saltire Awards are geared towards the involvement of young volunteers in the development and delivery of the scheme at all stages. Volunteers who have achieved the ‘Ascent’ have the chance to become Saltire Ambassadors. Ambassadors champion and represent youth volunteering at a local level. This means that they promote the awards, inspire other young people to get involved and participate in decision making as a Summit panel member.

Ambassadors have the opportunity to practice skills such as planning, organisation, decision-making, communication and group work, as well as building towards a 500 hour award. This type of experience is extremely useful when applying for jobs and courses, as it demonstrates commitment, diligence and initiative, all of which are highly valued by employers.

To find out more about Saltire Ambassadors contact us here.