Awards bestowed in the SCA range from small tokens for any reason the Crowns see fit, to formal awards given during court. Depending on the award, the appropriate token could be quite simple and basic to very elaborate, handcrafted tokens. Most “formal” awards are accompanied by a scroll.

Awards are given by the King and Queen, in an attempt to recognize the achievements and contributions made by individuals in the Kingdom.

The King and Queen base Their decision on who deserves what awards on recommendations submitted by the general populace. Usually, the Crown will consult with others as to the accuracy and appropriateness of the recommendation. Some of the Kingdom awards confer membership in an Order, and some of these Orders are polled by the Crown to see what the consensus is regarding the recommendation.

For someone to receive an award, members of the populace recommend an individual according to the contributions and services they’ve made to the society, or members of the society. Anyone can send in an award recommendation for someone else. In fact, the King and Queen encourage the populace to be aware of the good people are doing within the Kingdom and let it be known to them for consideration for an award.

For descriptions of Society-wide Peerage orders (Chivalry, Pelican, Laurel, Rose, and Royal Peers) see the Who is Who? section of the SCA’s Forward into the Past pamphlet.