Award Schemes

If you want some recognition that your orienteering is improving, here are some incentive and award schemes to help. For more general information on orienteering, see New to Orienteering.

South-East Orienteering Association Colour-Coded Awards

At local or district events colour-coded courses are graded on technical and physical difficulty: White, Yellow, Orange, Red, Light Green, Green, Blue and Brown. If you complete three White courses you can claim a White badge. To claim any other colour award you need to complete three courses of that colour in a time below or equal to the par time. The par time is calculated by whichever of the following two methods gives the greatest number of qualifiers:

  • 150% of the winner’s time
  • the time that is achieved by at least 50% of starters

White, Yellow and Orange badges can be claimed when competing as an individual or a pair. For the other colours you must compete as an individual. You can claim colour-coded badges free by sending an SAE and a copy of the results for the qualifying events to:

Anne Power, 6 Mallard Close, New Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 1DH

Night Colour-Coded Awards

The South East Orienteering Association also offers colour-coded badges for the courses used in SeNiLe (South East Night League) events: Ochre, Maroon, Navy and Chocolate. This scheme operates in exactly the same way as the day-time colour-coded scheme.

Gold, Silver, Bronze and Championship Badges

The British Orienteering National Badge Scheme awards badges on the basis of performance over a series of competitions. The scheme is open to British Orienteering members only (i.e. you need to join SLOW as a National or Local member – see membership for details).

These badges are awarded on runs at Regional, National and Championship events. To qualify for a badge you must reach the required standard in three events in the same age class within two years. The qualifying times for each standard are calculated from a base winning time, based on the top finishers’ times. If you compete on a short course the base time for this is calculated from the base time for the long course adjusted by ratio of course lengths. The qualifying times for each standard are:

  • Gold – 125% base time
  • Silver – 150% base time
  • Bronze – 200% base time

The times are occasionally changed at the controller’s discretion, so it’s best to wait for the final results which usually list the badge times for each class.

Championship badges are awarded to Elite, Long or A course competitors who complete three runs within 125% of the winner’s time at the JK, the British Championships or National events, within one calendar year. At least one qualifying run must be at the JK or the British Champs.

To claim a badge you need to send the following information to:

Chris Boycott, 13 Dawlish Avenue, Stafford, ST17 OEU

  • Name, club and British Orienteering membership number
  • Age-class and standard of badge being claimed
  • Date, name and venue of the three qualifying events
  • Your position and time at these events
  • 9″ x 6″ SAE and cheque payable to British Orienteering for £1.50 (badge) or 50p (certificate)

Explorer Challenge

This scheme aims to encourage young orienteers by rewarding them for locating controls. Every time the young person visits an orienteering event, permanent course or training exercise they record how many controls they locate in a logbook. Depending on the number of controls visited they can claim the following awards:

  • 10 controls – Acorn certificate
  • 25 controls – Tree certificate and badge
  • 50 controls – Copse certificate and badge
  • 75 controls – Wood certificate and badge
  • 100 controls – Forest certificate and badge

The logbooks can be downloaded from the British Schools Orienteering Association website (click on Incentive Schemes).

Awards can be claimed by sending your completed logbook to Christine Robinson, SLOW Development Officer (see Contact Us for email address). Awards are free to junior members of SLOW (cost £1.00 per certificate, or £1.50 per certificate and badge to other juniors).

Photo by Libby Schofield.