Scholarships & Awards

4-H Youth Activity Awards

Delaware 4-H Youth in Action (YIA) Award

This award honors four Delaware 4-H’ers who have gained critical life skills through their 4-H experience and have utilized those skills to overcome a challenge or challenges they have faced.  Every honoree is an outstanding 4-H’er who epitomizes 4-H youth empowerment and leadership. Through a formal selection process, one awardee will be chosen within each pillar area:

• Youth in Action: Agriculture
• Youth in Action: Citizenship
• Youth in Action: Healthy Living
• Youth in Action: STEM

More information about the National 4-H Youth in Action (YIA) Award

Diamond Clover 4-H Award

The award consists of six levels that each require a 4-Her to plan and accomplish a broad range of age-appropriate tasks, acquiring valuable life skills as they progress.

• Delaware 4-H Diamond Clover Guidelines
• Award Recipients

Future Blue Hen Award

The 4-H staff have nominated 4-H members who have exhibited outstanding leadership, participation and cooperation during fair week. These 4-H members show a commitment to agriculture and a great potential for future success.

• Award Recipients

Joy G. Sparks Memorial Tribute Award

This annual perpetual award was established in 2009 by the Delaware State Fair Board of Directors as a memorial to Joy G. Sparks. The award will recognize a  4-H youth member who has excelled in their participation in both the Delaware 4-H Program and as an exhibitor of the Delaware State Fair.

Joy Sparks was a member of the Delaware State Fair Board of Directors for 22 years from 1987 to 2009.  She served in the role of 4th Vice President while also serving as the 4-H Department Superintendent.  She participated on several fair committees over the years, while serving as chairperson of the Short and Long Range Planning. Joy had a 35+ year career with the University of Delaware in Cooperative Extension. As State Program leader for the Delaware 4-H Program, she was the driving force which helped Delaware 4-H become a program epitomized by so many other states. In her various roles, Joy always displayed outstanding leadership qualities and promoted and encouraged leadership to all youth with which she worked.  In addition, her contributions to the Delaware State Fair and her community were many as she always promoted volunteer work and community service.

Nominations for this award will be accepted annually each year for any 4-H member ages 14 to 19 years. Nominees for this award will be judged on four main elements that clearly were important and promoted by Joy in her everyday life: Fair Participation, 4-H Participation, Leadership and Community Service. Nominees may not nominate themselves.  All nominations must be received by June 15 via email at the following address: de4h@udel.edu.

• Award Recipients

Prudential Emerging Visionaries

The world needs innovations – your innovations. Prudential Emerging Visionaries is a national program that celebrates and awards young people who create solutions to financial and societal challenges. We're building a community of young people working to create positive change across the nation. If you have a solution and a well-designed plan to make it happen, tell us about it.

• Learn more about the Prudential Emerging Visionaries program

4-H Adult Volunteer Recognition Awards

Delaware 4-H Hall of Fame

In 2002, the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, National 4-H Council and 4-H National Headquarters partnered to create the National 4-H Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was established to recognize 4-H volunteers, Extension professionals, staff employees, donors and others who made a significant impact on 4-H at the local, state or national level.  This event is sponsored by the Delaware 4-H Foundation.

• Delaware 4-H Hall of Fame Nomination 2026
• Frequently Asked Questions

National 4-H Hall of Fame

The National 4-H Hall of Fame Task Force of NAE4-HA, in cooperation with National 4-H Council and 4-H National Headquarters.  Our goal is for NAE4-HA members, foundation/development professionals and 4-H faculty at all levels to work together to select and nominate the most deserving candidate of each Land-grant institution to the National 4-H Hall of Fame.

• More information about the National 4-H Hall of Fame
• Delawareans inducted to the National 4-H Hall of Fame

Joy Sparks Spirit of 4-H Award

The Joy Sparks Spirit of 4-H Award recognizes outstanding individuals who exhibit enthusiasm, dedication and exemplify 4-H spirit and values. The award is named in memory of 4-H state program leader Joy Sparks, who died Feb. 17, 2009.

• Award Recipients

4-H Salute to Excellence Awards

Each year, state 4-H programs nominate two outstanding individual volunteers through the 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards.* The Outstanding Lifetime Volunteer Award is given to an individual who has spent 10 or more years as a 4-H volunteer while the Volunteer of the Year Award is given to an individual who has volunteered for 4-H less than 10 years.

• Learn more about the 4-H Salute to Excellence Awards
• Salute to Excellence Volunteer Recognition Award Winners