supernova

The Supernova Award

How Scouts Earn Supernova

The BSA STEM in Scouting awards program began in 2012 with two different award levels: NOVA and SUPERNOVA.

For scouts seeking a greater STEM challenge, there are seven SUPERNOVA awards available to earn at the various program levels.

Cub Scout Wolf and Bear (1) - Dr. Luis W. Alvarez Award

Cub Scout Webelos and Arrow of Light (1) - Dr. Charles H. Townes Award

Scouts BSA (2) - Dr. Bernard Harris & Thomas Edison Awards

Venturing/Sea Scouting (3) - Dr. Sally Ride, Wright Brothers, and Dr. Albert Einstein Awards

Award Requirements at scouting.org

How Scouts Earn Supernova

START

Choose a Supernova Mentor. Youth may ONLY be coached by a council-approved Supernova Mentor.
Your parents are not allowed to mentor you except at the Cub level when no other mentor is available and when working on the award in a small group setting.
Meet with your mentor following YPT guidelines to plan your own personal work on the award. This is an individual award that recognizes individual effort to completion.

TIME

Cubs may be able to complete the award in several months to a year.
Scouts must be First Class and often take a couple years or more to complete requirements.
Venturers and Sea Scouts have a more rigorous set of requirements which may take several years to complete.
There is no time limit other than youth eligibility for that level of BSA program.

FINISH

Your supernova mentor submits a complete application which is reviewed at the Council level.
Per the official BSA form, your application must include "copies of all my reports and other appropriate documentation for consideration".
After approval by council, your supernova medal is ordered while supplies last. When it arrives it may be purchased at the Scout Shop.

About THE AWARDS

Supernova Awards are rare!

Since 2012 the Capitol Area Council has awarded about a hundred Cub Supernova Awards (Alvarez and Townes) and only a handful of Scout (Harris) Supernova Awards. For perspective, about 400-500 scouts in council earn Eagle each year.

Medals are heavy!

The medallions come from BSA National, are real metal, and are worn around the neck. Contact the Council STEM Nova Committee to have a committee member present these to youth at your unit/district event.

Bars and Certificates available

The Scout Shop has a certificate that you may customize for each scout, suitable for framing. They also sell small bar pins that are worn on the uniform for earning bronze, silver, or gold level.

CHANGES TO THE COUNCIL SUPERNOVA APPLICATION PROCESS

Due to the high volume and disparate mechanisms of Supernova applications that we are receiving, the STEM Nova committee has approved several changes to how we receive and review applications.

1) MONTHLY REVIEWS - Starting January 2020, all Supernova applications will be reviewed only at the monthly STEM Nova committee meeting (not in June or July).

2) ALL-IN-ONE PDF or hard copy - All applications are to be submitted as a single PDF document (preferred) or as a hard copy of all documentation (no original work; copied all on standard letter-sized paper). To aid the process, we have created guides (download links below) for submitting the Cub Scout award applications, to ensure that each application contains all necessary supporting documentation.

Deliver all applications to Jessica Snider at Jessica.Snider@scouting.org or to CAC BSA, 12500 North IH35, Austin, TX 78753, Attention: Jessica Snider.