Golden Clover Award

This award recognizes a member for personal achievement and improvement, setting goals and completing them, excelling beyond expectations and overcoming hardships, and for outstanding and long-term contributions to the 4-H Youth Development Program.

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

This award recognizes a member for changing the life of another youth in a positive manner.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

This award recognizes a member, volunteer, group and/or staff member for contributions that demonstrate living the definition of civic engagement; "Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference."

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

One member award or one group award may be given in this category for project work or special events related to beekeeping. The goals include: 

• Educate the public about the beneficial aspects of honey bees, 

• Advance research beneficial to beekeeping practices, 

• Provide a forum for cooperation among beekeepers, and 

• Support the economic and political viability of the beekeeping industry. 

Sponsored by the California State Beekeepers Association

This award goes to a member, volunteer and/or group for increasing public awareness of the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program; involving new youth and adults in 4-H; reaching out to communities that have historically not benefited from 4-H; and creating partnerships with other youth development organizations.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

This award may go to a member, volunteer and/or group for their efforts to fundraise financial and in-kind donations for local, county, and state level 4-H programs. Candidates also shared their methods and processes to educate others in the fundraising process.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

This award may go to a member, volunteer and/or group for new, fresh and creative 4-H work at the local, county and state levels. Innovative 4-H work includes inventive educational activities, research ideas, service-learning projects and other activities.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year.

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

This award can go to a member or volunteer for their individual leadership roles within 4-H camps, conferences, and trainings. 

This award can also go to a group for outstanding educational events or activities that involved youth-adult partnerships in planning and delivery, reached a wide array of youth, and strived to meet local needs.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year.

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

Eligibility: Youth and Adult Volunteers

This award goes to either a member or a volunteer for 4-H work in camping and outdoor adventures including camping, fishing, hiking, shooting sports, rafting, climbing, GIS/GPS, snow skiing, and others. This category also includes outstanding achievement, leadership, and promotion of outdoor adventures.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Friends of Jack and Robert Clay

Jack Clay and his son, Robert, were enthusiastically involved in the 4-H camping and outdoor adventure projects as leader and junior leader in Alameda County. Following their tragic accidental death in September 1987, family and friends established this memorial. 

This award can go to two 4-H members and one 4-H volunteer for utilizing science inquiry and experiential learning in 4-H work to help youth increase knowledge, skills and competencies and improve their attitudes about science. This category includes increasing science awareness and use in 4-H projects by testing predictions and making sense of observations.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Robert Brownlee Foundation

The Robert Brownlee Foundation was established in 1987 to provide financial awards for creating and maintaining innovative programs for youth. Robert Brownlee (1942-1991) was a visionary, whose practical inventions were elegant solutions to complicated technical problems, and whose generosity continues to extend that vision to science education for young people. 

This award goes to 4-H members who have shown commitment, patience and outstanding work with service and guide dogs through 4-H.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Ironstone Concours Foundation

The Ironstone Concours Foundation is proud that over the last decade it has contributed more than $500,000 to youth programs, which include state and local 4-H organizations.

Eligibility: Adult Volunteers

This award recognizes a 4-H volunteer for being a trusted friend, counselor, or leader and changing the life of a peer or youth in a positive manner.

Activities in the application must occur within the 12 months before July 1st of each year. 

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

Eligibility: Adult Volunteers

This award recognizes a volunteer with five or fewer years of excellent 4-H volunteer service in the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program.

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

This award recognizes an adult volunteer who has dedicated a significant portion of their adult life to the 4-H program. Awardees are outstanding volunteers who demonstrate significant, statewide, positive impact for 4-H youth. This award specifically recognizes volunteer contributions at the statewide level.

Sponsored by the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation

This award recognizes 4-H professionals who have worked together in a team of two or more people to create a 4-H program, activity or event that has impact in multiple counties, with potential for duplication throughout 4-H in California, as evidenced by evaluation data.

Activities in the application must occur within the 24 months before July 1st of each year. 

This award recognizes a 4-H staff who has created successful partnerships with 4-H volunteers, 4-H members and other community organizations.

Activities in the application must occur within the 24 months before July 1st of each year.