Government Award; Submission of a Suggestion

The Bavarian Minister-President and the Federal President confer a wide range of orders and decorations for outstanding achievements and dedication in various areas of life. The ministers in charge of various departments also bestow additional state honors within their respectiveareas of responsibility. Anyone may nominate another person for an award.

To do so, a simple letter is generally sufficient, containing the following information about the deserving individual (personal details need only be provided if known, as the person being nominated should not be included in the nomination itself):

• First name and last name, including any different birth name if applicable,
• Residential address,
• Date of birth,
• Description of the nature and scope of the special merits (chronological order recommended),
• Optional: Reference persons or organizations that can provide a statement to the relevant authorities regarding the nominee’s contributions.

Please send the letter to one of the following Bavarian authorities:

• Bavarian State Chancellery,
• the relevant State Ministry,
• Government of a Administrative District in Bavaria,
• District Administrative Authority.

Tip: Use the appropriate forms for your nominations for orders and decorations (see “Forms”).

Information on Bavarian orders and honors can be found on the Bavarian State Government’s official website (see “Further Links”). Information on the orders and honors of the Federal Republic of Germany is available on the Federal President’s website (see “Further Links”).

In the “Legal Basis” tab, you will find a collection of links to the legal basis and requirements for the conferral of the various state awards.

The process for all state honors is strictly confidential.

Nominations for orders, honors, and other awards from the Federal Republic of Germany and the Free State of Bavaria are reviewed in advance by various authorities.

The Bavarian Minister-President and the Federal President generally base their decisions on these review results as well as on the information provided in the applications.

• Merely fulfilling one’s professional duties, or the impeccable fulfillment of official duties by public servants, or engaging in volunteer work alone is not sufficient grounds for receiving the award.
  The volunteer work must have been carried out over an extended period with great personal dedication, while setting aside one’s own interests.
• For reasons of confidentiality and to avoid raising false expectations, the proposed individual should not be involved in the nomination process.
• Only individuals may be nominated; awards for groups are not permitted.
• For an award to be granted, the meritorious service must have taken place relatively recently; that is, the service in question must generally not have occurred more than five years ago.
• An award of the Medal of Honor for Meritorious Service in Volunteer Work requires at least 15 years of outstanding volunteer service.
• According to the regulations governing orders, anyone who nominates themselves for an award cannot expect to receive it.
• Orders are generally not awarded posthumously.
  (Exception: Bavarian Rescue Medal)
• There is no entitlement to the award of a state honor.

It is not possible to specify a precise timeframe from the initial proposal to the final decision on the awarding of a state honor. Since numerous agencies are involved in the decision-making process to ensure a broad information base, the timeframe varies from case to case.

Recommendations for the conferral of honors, medals, and other awards: free of charge