Launch of redesigned John Muir Award

John Muir Trust's environmental award scheme - the John Muir Award - is open for submissions.

The redesigned John Muir Award has launched with the new Wild Places Guardian level, encouraging people to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places.

The Award’s systems and process have been completely updated, and the team have created fresh content and new resources too, making it more sustainable while retaining its ethos of inclusivity and all the principles and activities that make it so popular.   

More than half a million people have achieved a John Muir Award since it first began. Its learner-led approach provides an inclusive way of encouraging everyone to learn about the benefits of wild places.

The Award sets the bar for accessible conservation learning and is a lynchpin in the academic year for schools, outdoor centres and a host of other providers across the UK.

David Balharry, Chief Executive, John Muir Trust

As part of the updating process, the John Muir Trust team consulted extensively, engaging with more than 1,200 organisations that have historically delivered the Award to participants. Many fresh ideas emerged, including how to make the Award more efficient to run – and sustainable for many years ahead.  

One aspect of this was to redesign the previous ‘Discovery’ level of the Award as the new Wild Places Guardian level. Participants learn what wild places are, how special they are and how we can all help them.

Learning takes places through four challenges, which provides a framework with set criteria while giving flexibility on how each of those criteria are met.

The first challenge is to discover a wild place and consider what makes it wild. The second challenge asks participants to explore their wild place to understand it better. This involves all sorts of activities that encourage adventure and curiosity. The third challenge is to help conserve their wild place, which will help the John Muir Trust look after wild places across the whole of the UK. And finally, the share challenge asks participants to talk about what they have done to inspire others to care for wild places.

Most participants complete their Award as part of an organised group with a leader from organisations including schools, community groups, and outdoor learning centres. But the Award can also be completed in a self-guided capacity by families and individuals. There’s no upper age limit and adults are encouraged to get involved too.

• Find out more: johnmuirtrust.org/award