What is an Open Award Centre? An Open Award Centre...
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award levels are open to participants of these ages:
- Bronze: You can start your Bronze Award if you are 14 or older.
- Silver: You can start your Silver Award if you are 15 years or older.
- Gold: You can start your Gold Award on or after your 16th birthday. You must complete your award before your 25th birthday.
Do I need to complete all levels of The Award?
No, but Universities, employers and Scholarship boards look very favourably on The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award with Gold obviously carrying more weight than Silver and then Bronze.
If you didn’t complete your Bronze or Silver Award you can, and should, absolutely complete your Gold Award. You need a minimum of 18 months to complete your Gold award if you haven’t completed your Silver award. Therefore 23 and a half is the oldest age you can register for the Duke of Ed Award.
Can I transfer my registration from my current Award Centre to Outward Bound?
Yes, you can continue your Duke of Ed journey from the same place in your Online Record Book (ORB) by paying the transfer fee and changing your Award Centre in the ORB.
I am an adult thinking about doing the Award. Can I still join?
Absolutely, but you need to have completed your chosen level before your 25th birthday. Therefore, as long as you are completely ready to go, the oldest you can be to start each level of the Award is:
- Bronze: 24 years, 6 months
- Silver: 24 years
- Gold: 23 years, 6 months
Open Award Centre Costs
| Award Level | Award Holder | Direct Entry | Duke of Ed Fee (incl) | Transfer Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | n/a | $332 | $172 | $160 |
| Silver | $342 | $462 | $182 | $220 |
| Gold | $532 | $682 | $192 | $340 |
What are these charges?
Award Holder: you have completed the previous Award level. E.g. you have completed your Bronze Award, and are now enrolling into the Silver Award.
Direct Entry: you have not registered with the Award previously or you did not complete the previous Award level.
Duke of Ed Fee: the fee charged by The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia to complete The Award and is included in Award Holder and Direct Entry fees. The balance is Outward Bound’s fee to administer your Award. It increases at every Award level as your time commitment to The Award, and our time commitment to you, increases. It is a one-off fee for that level of your Award. Other organisations charge monthly fees which turn out more expensive over the duration of your Award.
Transfer Fee: you are transferring from another Award Centre to Outward Bound. You do not need to pay the Duke of Ed Fee again.
Will there be additional charges?
Two Adventurous Journeys are required at each level of The Award. The Gold Award also requires a Residential Project. These are not included in the registration fee.
- Follow the instructions to register online with Outward Bound at Open Award Centre Registration
- Register online with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – Australia at Online Record Book
Outward Bound Australia and the ACT Award Office want as many people as possible to complete their Award, and gain the advantage of calling themselves an Alumni of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
Working in partnership, we are able to offer an Equity Grant that will waive the registration fee for those young people who are resident within ACT, wish to complete their Award, and experiences or meets any of the following criteria:
- Low socio-economic status (SES) background
- Isolation
- Poverty
- Rural, remote, regional living location
- Intending participant identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- Intending participant is of a culturally or linguistically diverse (CALD) or ethnic minority background
- Homelessness or housing insecurity
- Domestic violence
- Substance abuse
- Teenage pregnancy / Teenage mother
- Learning difficulty
- Engaged in the juvenile justice system
- Young Carer for siblings or parents
- Family breakdown
- Social and/or behavioural challenges
- Physical disability
- Mental health challenges
If this is you, please contact us to discuss how we can help you to achieve your Award.
We want as many people as possible to experience the advantage of a wilderness program in Australia. Through our charity arm, the Australian Outward Bound Development Fund, we can offer financial scholarship opportunities to those participants who would otherwise not be able to afford to come on a program.
To apply for a scholarship please go to our Scholarship Application Form.
Both Outward Bound and The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award were founded by Kurt Hahn. The first he started in collaboration with Laurence Holt and the latter with HRH Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh. With this synergy in empowering young people to reach their full potential and be the best they can be, Outward Bound Australia are proud to be an Open Award Centre for the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award in Australia. If you are resident in NSW, ACT (& Victoria coming soon!), come and join us on the journey of a lifetime.
