The Business Professionals of America's Torch Awards Program is designed to promote professionalism and leadership in both career development and personal growth. Students complete activities in the seven Torch categories--Leadership; Service; Cooperation; Knowledge; Friendship; Love, Hope, Faith; and Patriotism--then log their activities in an online Torch Résumé.
Each activity is worth 5, 10, 15, or 20 points. When a student achieves a certain number of points for each category, his/her advisor or local reviewer can submit the résumé online to be reviewed for recognition. All students completing a satisfactory résumé will be awarded.
There are four levels of recognition:
Award | Organization Level | Points Required in Each Category |
Submission Deadline | Recoginition |
---|---|---|---|---|
Executive | Local Chapter | 10 | varies | Pin and Certificate |
Diplomat | Varies by State | 30 | varies | Pin and Certificate |
Statesman | State | 50 | varies | Pin and Certificate
(otherwise varies by state) |
Ambassador | National | 70 | varies | Pin and Certificate, Recognition at NLC |
A student who earns an award through Business Professionals of America's Torch Awards Program will be presented with a certificate and pin commemorating their achievement.
Students receiving the Ambassador Torch Award will receive their pin and certificate at the National Leadership Conference. Most importantly, though, a student participating in the Torch Awards Program builds a rich catalog of service and leadership experience to be proud of.
Resumes must be submitted by the appropriate deadline to be eligible for awards. Once a resume is submitted, regional/state/national administrators can evaluate the resume and either approve or reject the resume. If approved, the student has earned the award and no further action is required. If rejected, an advisor and student can then work on the resume more and re-submit, as long as the appropriate deadline has not passed.
The Torch Awards Program is open to all BPA members in the Middle Level, Secondary, and Post-secondary Divisions.