Major Oak Camping Challenge

Challenge Information

Open to all Scouts and Scout Troops, Explorers and Explorer Units, Scout Networks and all their Scouting Leaders including Young Leaders to camp in unfamiliar places. There is a separate one for Cubs.


This award recognises the contribution camping makes to building successful teams and the effort young people and their leader teams make in achieving the top awards. Every night camped whilst obtaining this award counts towards your Scouting Nights Away challenge.


There are 3 awards – Bronze, Silver and Gold that each have different challenges built around achieving top awards and having fun. For each award you must camp in every month of the year and this can be spread over several years. There is no time limit for each award.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who can do the Major Oak Challenge?

    All three Awards are open to Young People in the Scout, Explorer and Network sections and any adult member in Scouting.

    The Awards are progressive, and you must do them in order of Bronze followed by Silver and then Gold. This recognises and rewards members who are nights away active.

    The individual awards do not have to be achieved within one calendar year and can cross into as many years and sections as it takes to complete the Award.


  • What are the Award Challenges?

    There is a list of Challenges for the Silver and Gold Awards. The challenges in each award can be done in any order. You can complete more than one challenge in a month but a minimum of 12 challenges must be completed for each award.

    You can record your completed challenges on the downloadable record card on this page, on your own spreadsheet, or even keep your record as a photolog - see the example on this page.


  • What is a camp?

    A camp consists of one or more nights in a tent or a shelter (see the Scout Association’s Victorinox Survival Skill Shelter Resource).

    Where necessary, an adult with a relevant Nights Away Permit should be involved and this doesn’t prevent the Young Leader or Scout Network member with an active leadership appointment from planning or delivering the actual experience. Nights Away Permit holders may also be required to issue Nights Away Event Passports for peer-led camps. Camps that use a large Scout managed campsite can count as different locations providing each camp is in a different type of environment for example a grassed field, woodland area or greenfield site.

    Camps of two nights or more that include more than one month can count for two challenges provided the two challenges are undertaken in different months e.g. a 2 night camp held on 31st May and 1st June can count as achieved under May and June of that year.

  • Must it always be under canvas?

    For the Silver and Gold Challenge a camp can include up to two recognised

    residential courses.

    If the challenge starts with sleep (marked*), you do not have to be under canvas

  • Who awards the Challenge?

    The Bronze Challenge can be awarded by your Section Leader or GSL once you have camped every month of the year and you have filled out the record card and/or photolog.

    The Silver Challenge can be awarded by your District Commissioner or District Mayor on completion of the Challenges usually on Rushcliffe Award Nights and you have filled out the record card and/or photolog.

    To be confirmed as The Gold Challenge will be awarded by County. More details will be forthcoming.