Nominations are accepted by the local council for registered volunteer adult Scouters who are:

• 21 years old or older.
• Nominees are intended to not only be exceptional Scouters, but ALSO well-rounded volunteers in their community.
• Nominations will not be considered for current or professional Scouters within five years of their leaving employment of the BSA.
• Nominations cannot be considered posthumously.

Nominations for the Bay-Lakes Council 2022 Silver Beaver Class must be submitted by Friday, January 6, 2023.  The nomination form and any supporting information for the Silver Beaver Award should be emailed to Laura.Martin@Scouting.org or placed in a sealed envelope with “Silver Beaver Nomination” on the outside and either delivered or mailed to the Bay-Lakes Council, 2555 Northern Road, Appleton, WI 54912-0267. 2022 Silver Beaver recipients will be notified by Friday, January 27, 2023.

Bay-Lakes Council will only accept nominations completed and submitted using the nomination form downloaded here.

Upon receipt of all properly completed and timely submitted nominations, the Bay-Lakes Council establishes a review committee consisting of peer Scouters who are previously recognized Silver Beaver Award recipients.  The committee completes a blind review of all nominations with each nomination evaluated and rated on a scale of 1-10 for:

• Demonstrates the ideals and principles of the Scout Oath & Law.
• Distinguished service to Unit.
• Distinguished service to District.
• Distinguished service to Council.
• Distinguished service to Community.
• Number of years as a BSA registered Scouter.
• Completed adult leader trainings.
• Advocates youth development and growth outside of Scouting.
• Experience in group activity leadership in a club, lodge, or religious organization.

Not all nominated Scouters will receive the award.  Bay-Lakes Council at their discretion may award up to one Silver Beaver Award per 60 registered units as of December 31, 2022, or a portion thereof.  The total number of awarded Silver Beavers by Bay-Lakes Council will vary from year-to-year.

The following are myths associated with the awarding of the Silver Beaver.

1. Does the nominee have to have been awarded the District Award of Merit? No, the District Award of Merit is not required to have been received by the nominee.
2. Does a large financial or material donation to the council provide a means for being awarded the Silver Beaver. No, all recipients must meet the selection criteria defined above by the Bay-Lakes Council.
3. Does serving on the Council or Executive Board guarantee a means for being awarded the Silver Beaver. No, all recipients must meet the selection criteria defined above by the Bay-Lakes Council.
4. Do nominations roll year-to-year? No, if a nominee is not selected for that year their nomination does not automatically go into the next years selection. Nominators are encouraged update the nomination and resubmit.

All nomination forms should be completed in their entirety.  There may have been instances where a qualified recipient was nominated, but the nomination form was barely completed, and information provided sporadic.  An example of a properly completed nomination form can be found here.

Nomination forms can, and may take, several weeks to complete and should be completed without the knowledge of the nominee.  Please remember it is up to the nominator, not the council or review committee, for the preparation of the nomination form and its content.