Amateur radio operators can earn awards celebrating their on-air operation skills and community efforts.
Operating Awards
Awards Group
The ARRL hosts an online group to help people learn more about operating awards and understand the process of obtaining them. This group is part of the ARRL groups system and can be reached at https://groups.arrl.org/g/ARRL-Awards. Join this group to get more involved with the awards process.
ARRL Awards Page
The ARRL hosts a page about the operating awards listed here. It is available at https://www.arrl.org/awards.
Distance (DX) Century Club (DXCC)
DXCC is amateur radio’s premier award, which hams can earn by confirming on-the-air contacts with 100 countries. You can begin with the basic DXCC award and work your way up to the DXCC Honor Roll. Most contact (QSO) information is managed using the Logbook of the World (LoTW) system. You can still get credit for any QSL card contact that you may have made in the past. Card checkers are available across the state and usually attend the local hamfests. Use all of the operating modes to help get this award. More information, including the rules, history, and more about DXCC, is available at https://www.arrl.org/dxcc. (Currently, the LoTW connection is not operational, so patience is required when you submit it for DXCC verification.)
Worked All States (WAS)
The WAS (Worked All States) Award is available to all amateurs worldwide who submit proof with written confirmation of contacts with each of the 50 states of the United States of America. Amateurs in the U.S. and possessions must be members of ARRL to apply for a WAS. Applicants from outside the U.S. are exempt from this requirement. More information about WAS can be found at https://www.arrl.org/was.
Worked All Continents (WAC)
Sponsored by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), the Worked All Continents award is issued for working and confirming all six continents: North America, South America, Oceania, Asia, Europe, and Africa. More information on the WAC is available at https://www.arrl.org/wac.
Club Longevity Awards
Amateur Radio clubs that have been in operation for 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, etc., are eligible to receive a commendation that includes a plaque from the League on these milestone years. Documentation of the first known activity is required. Contact your ARRL Section Manager, Mark Kleine N5HZR to get this process started. In 2024, the Altus, OK club received their 50-year plaque. Tulsa Amateur Radio Club, Enid Amateur Radio Organization, OU, and OSU student amateur radio clubs all received 100-year commendations.
VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC)
The VUCC award is given for contact with a minimum number of Maidenhead grid locators (like EM15) per band. For further explanation and information, please view the https://www.arrl.org/vucc page. The OKROVER team is a great resource for helping you obtain this award. They have a great Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1766056970371203 and will be happy to help you get involved in the shorter wavelengths.
A-1 Operators Club
Membership is available to all currently active, licensed Amateur Radio operators. Membership comes after nomination by two club members who find the nominee qualified to be a member of this elite group. Membership in the A-1 Operator Club cannot be awarded posthumously. Note that the A-1 Ops Club membership is based upon ON-AIR operating proficiency. Current A-1 Operators nominate others for this award. See the ARRL’s A-1 Operators Club page at https://www.arrl.org/a-1-op.
Triple Play WAS
The Triple Play WAS (Worked All States) Award is available to all amateurs worldwide who must use Logbook of the World (LoTW) to confirm QSOs with each of the 50 states on voice, CW, and digital modes. The Triple Play WAS Award is serial-numbered, starting with # 1, as determined by the time stamp of the electronic application submitted via LoTW. Awards issued will be tracked and presented on the ARRL website. Learn more at https://www.arrl.org/triple-play.
The Fred Fish Memorial Award
The Fred Fish Memorial Award was created in honor of Fred Fish, W5FF (SK), the first amateur to have worked and confirmed all 488 Maidenhead grid squares in the 48 contiguous United States on 6 Meters. The award will be given to any amateur who can duplicate W5FF’s accomplishment. There are currently only 23 amateurs that have claimed this achievement. Learn more at https://www.arrl.org/ffma.
First Contact Award
This handsome certificate commemorates that special first on-the-air contact. It includes the contact information you provide in the form below and has a place for you to sign and date when presenting the award. This would be a wonderful surprise to send a ham when you are THEIR first contact. You can download and fill out the PDF certificate from https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Awards/ARRL_First_Contact_Certificate.pdf to print and present (or email) to the new ham to document their first contact.
Rag Chewers’ Club Award
This award is for those who make an Amateur Radio contact and chew the rag for at least thirty minutes. You can download and fill out the PDF certificate from https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Awards/2023_Rag_Chewers_Club_Certificate.pdf to present to the rag chewer.
Non-Operating Awards
Centurion Awards
Centurion Awards are given to members who have reached 100 and have 40 years of ARRL membership. They do not require Board action. When a Director believes they have a constituent who qualifies for the Award, the Director first verifies the recipient’s age and then notifies the Membership Department of that information.
Code Proficiency Certificate
Evaluate your Morse code ability through the ARRL Code Proficiency program. Copy one of W1AW’s qualifying runs and submit one minute of solid copy (legible) along with your $10 fee for a certificate. Your submission will be checked directly against the official W1AW text, and if you pass, you will get your initial Code Proficiency certificate. From then on, $7.50 endorsement stickers are issued for speeds up to 40 WPM. The W1AW Code Proficiency Program is open to both hams and non-hams alike! All the details are available at https://www.arrl.org/code-proficiency-certificate.
Mentor Award
Mentoring has long been the backbone of Amateur Radio. While technology constantly evolves, human interaction between hams will not be replaced, and this will remain one of the strongest traditions in the hobby. As licensed hams, we are all ambassadors of Amateur Radio, and we should always be looking at ways to welcome newly licensed hams and project a positive image that will attract others to ham radio. Anyone can grab the PDF from https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Awards/ARRL_Mentor_Award.pdf, enter their mentor’s name, and present the award in person.
Technical Service Awards
The ARRL Board of Directors created a technical awards program recognizing service, innovation, and microwave development. The FCC recognizes the amateur’s “proven ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art,” the need to promote technical skills, and expand the “existing reservoir . . . of trained operators, technicians and electronics experts.” The Board also noted that one of the purposes of the League is to promote experimentation and education in electronic communication, research and development, and the dissemination of technical, educational, and scientific information. These awards are all detailed on the https://www.arrl.org/technical-awards web page.
ARRL Technical Service Award
The Technical Service Award is given annually to a licensed radio amateur or to individuals who are licensed radio amateurs whose service to the amateur community and/or society at large is of the most exemplary nature within the framework of Amateur Radio technical activities.
ARRL Technical Innovation Award
The amateur community has witnessed significant changes over the past 75 years, from spark to space. The amateur radio operator is at the heart of many advances in the radio art. It has been and will remain ARRL policy to encourage amateurs to continue leading at the forefront of technological advancement, as the Board recognizes. The ARRL Technical Innovation Award is granted annually to licensed radio amateurs or to individuals who are licensed radio amateurs whose accomplishments and contributions are of the most exemplary nature within the framework of technical research, development, and application of new ideas and future systems.
ARRL Microwave Development Award
An excellent frontier for amateurs is the microwave bands. With room to move, the microwave region of our spectrum presents amateurs with a vast test bench for new modes and the development of traditional ones. The ARRL Microwave Development Award is given each year to a licensed radio amateur or to individuals who are licensed radio amateurs whose accomplishments and contributions are of the most exemplary nature within the framework of microwave development, i.e., research and application of new and refined uses and activity in the amateur microwave bands, along with the millimetric bands above 30 GHz. This includes adaptation of new modes both in terrestrial formats and satellite technique(s).