Merit Badge Process Quick Guide

Guide to Advancement 2025 (GTA25)

Guide for Merit Badge Counseling (GMBC)

Guide to Safe Scouting (Online) (GTSS)

Advancement Principles for merit badge completion:

Aaron on Scouting – 2025 what you need to know about the latest updates

Starting a Merit Badge: “Any registered scout…may work on the requirements for any merit badge at any time” (Guide to Advancement 2025 [GTA25], pg. 41).
Unit Leader Meeting: “Before working with a [merit badge] counselor…a scout must meet with their unit leader or their delegate” (GTA25, pg 41).
Blue Card: “…this [unit leader] meeting is a required part of the merit badge process…and should be documented either by the unit leader (or delegate) signature on the application for merit badge.” The blue card has three parts (GTA25, pg. 38):
- Application for merit badge
- Applicants record
- Counselors record
Merit Badge Decision: “Even though a leader may voice concerns about a particular scout pursuing a particular merit badge, it is the scouts decision whether or not to proceed. Units must not impose rank or age requirements for merit badge work.”
- *Age/Rank Restrictions: However, it should be noted that scout camps and merit badge days do, at times, place age and/or rank restrictions and/or recommendations on some merit badges. This will be noted at the time and place of registration.
Overlapping Requirements: “When two requirements match up exactly and have the same basic intent—for example, camping nights for Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks and for the Camping merit badge—it is appropriate and permissible, unless it is stated otherwise in the requirements, to use those activities for both the ranks and the merit badge” (GTA25, p. 24).
Discuss/Explain/Demonstrate:
- “Discuss requires a back and forth, interactive conversation between the Scout and the merit badge counselor. Exchanging a few text messages does not meet this standard, but a video conversation might.
- Explain can be accomplished in a written or oral
  format but must be a substantive description, more
  than just a few words.
- Demonstrate means to physically do the activity,
  ideally in the presence of the counselor. If this is not
  possible, a video of the Scout doing the activity can
  be used, provided both the video and the activity can
  be done in a safe manner. Video evidence must only
  be accepted if the Scout performs the skill correctly,
  and all essential aspects of the task can be clearly
  seen in the video.” (GTA25, pg. 36).

Merit badges at Scout Camp & Merit Badge Days:

(i.e. merit badge mania, merit badge mayhem, merit badge university, etc.)

Other Tracking Systems: Scout camp and merit badge days may not utilize blue cards. Some merit badge days utilize an online management system called black pug. The system allows scouts who completed a merit badge to download a “blue card” (*only blue if printed on blue paper) which still needs to be signed by a unit leader or their delegate. Scout camps usually operate their own management system where a scout signs up for merit badges through the troop advancement coordinator. Completed merit badges are then provided to the troop advancement coordinator for recording in scoutbook.