Step by step guide

How to get started

1. Understand the Award criteria. Review the John Muir Award criteria and consider the opportunities within your organisation to meet them.
   **If you are completing the Award as an individual or family, please email us at award@johnmuirtrust.org 
2. Become a Member. If your organisation plans to deliver the John Muir Award from August 2025, you’ll first need to join the John Muir Trust as a Group Member. Group Membership will be for your organisation and covers all Award leaders and activities during the year’s subscription. Find out more here. 
3. Plan your Award activity. Create an activity plan that ensures all Award criteria can be met. Please plan for at least a quarter of activity time to be spent on the Conserve Challenge. To make the process easier, consider drafting your responses in a Word document before completing the proposal form: we have created a template here to help you.
4. Submit a Proposal Form. Complete and submit a web-based Proposal Form at least two weeks BEFORE you intend to start Award activity, including details about: the proposed timeframe; the number of sessions; and how the group will meet each Award criterion.
5. Await confirmation. Once your proposal is approved, you’ll receive: Email confirmation; a unique reference number (please use this number in all communications about your group). If your proposal does not meet the criteria, we’ll provide feedback and support to help you revise it.
6. Keep records. Maintain detailed records of your group’s Award activity. To understand what’s required, take a look at the Review Form before you start. Award participants can make use of a Record Book to track their own progress. This can be downloaded and printed from our website, or ordered as a hard copy. The Record Book is for personal use only and does not need to be returned to the Award team. Group leaders may wish to download our Activity Record Template to track Conserve activity for the group.
7. Submit the Review Form. After completing all Award activities, submit the Review Form, providing: Comprehensive information about your activities; all participants' names (ensure accurate spelling for certificates).
   
   Digital certificates are provided electronically at no cost. If you prefer high-quality hard copies, you will be able to order these once your review form has been approved. Each certificate costs £2. Please note that all participants in a group must receive either electronic or hard copy certificates. If you need to request replacement certificates, a charge will apply for both digital and hard copies. Please email award@johnmuirtrust.org