User:Necrothesp/Notability criteria for recipients of honours
There are often questions in AfD discussions and elsewhere as to which honours and decorations qualify a recipient for "inherent" notability under WP:ANYBIO #1. The following is not in any way official, but has been formulated after long experience of editing Wikipedia, participating in AfD discussions, and studying honours systems.
In general, I would consider that notability requires one first-level award, any two second-level awards for service, any two second-level awards for gallantry, or any three second- or third-level awards. Fourth-level awards do not count towards the total unless a large number have been awarded.
Honours and decorations in italics are no longer awarded.
Note that this is a work in progress, which generally explains omissions.
Australia[edit]
Australian citizens are also eligible for Commonwealth honours and decorations, which may be considered in combination with Australian honours and decorations.
First-level service awards[edit]
- Order of Merit (OM)
- Knight, Dame, Companion, or Officer of the Order of Australia (AK, AD, AC, AO)
- Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)
Second-level service awards[edit]
- Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
- Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)
Third-level service awards[edit]
- Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
- Nursing Service Cross (NSC)
- Public Service Medal (PSM)
- Australian Police Medal (APM)
- Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM)
- Ambulance Service Medal (ASM)
- Emergency Services Medal (ESM)
- Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
- Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM)
- Australian Antarctic Medal (AAM)
- Royal Victorian Medal (RVM)
First-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Victoria Cross for Australia (VC)
- Cross of Valour (CV)
Second-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Star of Gallantry (SG)
- Star of Courage (SC)
- Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)
Third-level service awards[edit]
- Medal for Gallantry (MG)
- Bravery Medal (BM)
- Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)
Canada[edit]
Canadian citizens are also eligible for Commonwealth honours and decorations, which may be considered in combination with Canadian honours and decorations.
First-level service awards[edit]
- Order of Merit (OM)
- Any grade of the Order of Canada (CC, OC, CM)
- Commander of the Order of Military Merit (CMM)
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (COM)
- Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)
Second-level service awards[edit]
- Officer or Member of the Order of Military Merit (OMM, MMM)
- Officer or Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (OOM, MOM)
- Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)
- Any grade of the National Order of Quebec (GOQ, OQ, CQ)
- Saskatchewan Order of Merit (SOM)
- Order of Ontario (OOnt)
- Order of British Columbia (OBC)
- Alberta Order of Excellence (AOE)
- Order of Prince Edward Island (OPEI)
- Order of Manitoba (OM)
- Order of New Brunswick (ONB)
- Order of Nova Scotia (ONS)
- Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (ONL)
Third-level service awards[edit]
- Meritorious Service Cross (MSC)
- Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)
- Royal Victorian Medal (RVM)
First-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Victoria Cross (VC)
- Cross of Valour (CV)
Second-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Star of Military Valour (SMV)
- Star of Courage (SC)
Third-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Medal of Military Valour (MMV)
- Medal of Bravery (MB)
France[edit]
First-level service awards[edit]
- Grand Croix, Grand Officier, or Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur
- Grand Croix, Grand Officier, or Commandeur of the Ordre national du Mérite
- Commandeur of the Ordre des Palmes académiques
- Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
- Commandeur of the Ordre du Mérite agricole
- Commandeur of the Ordre du Mérite maritime
Second-level service awards[edit]
- Officier, Chevalier, or Légionnaire of the Légion d'honneur
- Compagnon de la Libération
- Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite
- Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes académiques
- Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
- Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre du Mérite agricole
- Officier or Chevalier of the Ordre du Mérite maritime
- Médaille de la Gendarmerie nationale
- Médaille de l'Aéronautique
First-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Grand Croix, Grand Officier, or Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur for courage
- Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement Or or Vermeil
Second-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Officier, Chevalier, or Légionnaire of the Légion d'honneur for courage
- Médaille militaire
- Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement Argent
Third-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Croix de guerre
- Croix de la Valeur militaire
- Médaille d’honneur pour acte de courage et de dévouement Bronze
Germany/West Germany[edit]
First-level service awards[edit]
First-level gallantry awards[edit]
New Zealand[edit]
New Zealand citizens are also eligible for Commonwealth honours and decorations, which may be considered in combination with New Zealand honours and decorations.
First-level service awards[edit]
- Order of Merit (OM)
- Order of New Zealand (ONZ)
- Knight or Dame Grand Companion, Principal Companion, Knight or Dame Companion, Distinguished Companion, or Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (GNZM, PCNZM, KNZM, DNZM, DCNZM, CNZM)
- Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame Commander, or Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO, KCVO, DCVO, CVO)
Second-level service awards[edit]
- Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)
- Queen's Service Order (QSO)
- Officer or Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM, MNZM)
Third-level service awards[edit]
- Queen's Service Medal (QSM)
- New Zealand Antarctic Medal (NZAM)
- New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration (DSD)
First-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Victoria Cross for New Zealand (VC)
- New Zealand Cross (NZC)
Second-level gallantry awards[edit]
- New Zealand Gallantry Star (NZGS)
- New Zealand Bravery Star (NZBS)
Third-level gallantry awards[edit]
United Kingdom, British Empire, and Commonwealth[edit]
This system was formerly used by all Commonwealth countries, and citizens of Commonwealth Realms are still eligible for these honours and decorations in addition to their own.
First-level service awards[edit]
- Peerage (Duke/Duchess, Marquess/Marchioness, Earl/Countess, Viscount/Viscountess, Baron/Baroness, Lord of Parliament), including all heirs and successors, but excluding women who only hold the title through their husbands and men who hold only courtesy titles as sons, grandsons, or great-grandsons of peers
- Baronetcy, but not including heirs and successors
- Knight Bachelor
- Order of the Garter (KG, LG)
- Order of the Thistle (KT, LT)
- Order of St Patrick (KP)
- Any grade of the Order of the Bath (GCB, KB, KCB, DCB, CB)
- Any grade of the Royal Guelphic Order (GCH, KCH, KH)
- Order of Merit (OM)
- Any grade of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI, KCSI, CSI)
- Any grade of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG, KCMG, DCMG, CMG)
- Any grade of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE, KCIE, CIE)
- Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame Commander, or Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO, KCVO, DCVO, CVO)
- Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame Commander, or Commander of the Order of the British Empire (GBE, KBE, DBE, CBE)
- Order of the Companions of Honour (CH)
- Order of the Crown of India (CI)
- Order of Burma (OB)
Second-level service awards[edit]
- Lieutenant or Member of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO, MVO)
- Officer or Member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE, MBE)
- Royal Red Cross 1st Class (RRC)
- Kaisar-i-Hind Medal
Third-level service awards[edit]
- Royal Red Cross 2nd Class (ARRC)
- Order of British India 1st and 2nd Class
- Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)
- Royal Victorian Medal (RVM)
- British Empire Medal (BEM)
- Queen's or King's Police Medal (QPM, KPM)
- King's Police and Fire Services Medal (KPFSM)
- Queen's Fire Service Medal (QFSM)
- Queen's Ambulance Service Medal (QASM)
- Queen's Volunteer Reserves Medal (QVRM)
- Colonial Police Medal (CPM)/Overseas Territories Police Medal
- Polar Medal, when awarded for merit only
- Imperial Service Medal (ISM), when awarded for merit only
First-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Victoria Cross (VC)
- George Cross (GC)
- Indian Order of Merit 1st Class (IOM)
- New Zealand Cross
- Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM)
- Albert Medal in Gold (AM)
- Edward Medal in Silver (EM)
Second-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
- Indian Order of Merit 2nd or 3rd Class
- Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC)
- Royal Red Cross 1st Class for Gallantry (RRC)
- Albert Medal in Bronze (AM)
- Edward Medal in Bronze (EM)
- Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)
- Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM)
- George Medal (GM)
Third-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Order of the British Empire for Gallantry (CBE, OBE, MBE)
- Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC)
- Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)
- Military Cross (MC)
- Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
- Air Force Cross (AFC)
- Royal Red Cross 2nd Class for Gallantry (ARRC)
- Order of British India 1st or 2nd Classes for Gallantry
- Indian Distinguished Service Medal (IDSM)
- Distinguished Service Medal (DSM)
- Military Medal (MM)
- Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM)
- Air Force Medal (AFM)
- Sea Gallantry Medal (SGM)
- Burma Gallantry Medal (BGM)
- Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM)
- Meritorious Service Medal for Gallantry (MSM)
- British Empire Medal for Gallantry (BEM)
- Queen's or King's Police Medal for Gallantry (QPM, KPM)
- Queen's Fire Service Medal for Gallantry (QFSM)
- King's Police and Fire Services Medal for Gallantry (KPFSM)
- Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry (CPM)
Fourth-level awards[edit]
- Mention in Despatches
- Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service
- Queen's Commendation for Bravery
- Queen's Commendation for Bravery in the Air
- Imperial Service Order (ISO), awarded for long service
- Imperial Service Medal (ISM), awarded for long service
- Territorial Decoration (TD)
- Efficiency Decoration (ED)
- Emergency Reserve Decoration (ERD)
- Volunteer Officers' Decoration (VD)
- Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (VD/VRD)
- Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration (VD)
United States of America[edit]
United States awards are more difficult to classify as they are decentralised and every government department and many local agencies award their own completely separate collection of honours and bravery decorations. It is therefore not certain that multiple awards may make an individual notable.
First-level service awards[edit]
- Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Congressional Gold Medal
- Presidential Citizens Medal
- Medal for Merit
- President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service
- National Medal of Arts
- National Humanities Medal
- National Medal of Science
- National Medal of Technology and Innovation
- Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Second-level service awards[edit]
- Medal of Freedom
- National Security Medal
- National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
- National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal
- Distinguished Intelligence Medal
- Department of Commerce Gold Medal
- Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award
- Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
- Department of the Army Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service
- Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service
- Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award
- Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal
- ATF Distinguished Service Medal
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Distinguished Service Medal
- Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Achievement Medal
- Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
- Defense Distinguished Service Medal
- Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal
- Army Distinguished Service Medal
- Navy Distinguished Service Medal
- Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
- Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
- Legion of Merit
First-level gallantry awards[edit]
Second-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Navy Cross
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Air Force Cross
- Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor
- National Intelligence Cross
- Distinguished Intelligence Cross
- Gold Lifesaving Medal
Third-level gallantry awards[edit]
- Silver Star
- National Intelligence Medal for Valor
- Intelligence Star
- Silver Lifesaving Medal
- ATF Medal of Valor
- FBI Medal of Valor
- Award for Heroism
- Award for Valor
- Department of Transportation Medal for Valor
- FAA Valor Medal
- The highest award for valour awarded by individual major police departments (e.g. Los Angeles Police Medal of Valor, New York City Police Department Medal of Honor)
Fourth-level awards[edit]
- Bronze Star Medal
- Purple Heart
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Navy and Marine Corps Medal
- Soldier's Medal
- Air Medal
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ It is my personal opinion that, given the large numbers awarded and the actions for which many of them were awarded, the Knight's Cross should actually be considered a second-level decoration; however, consensus appears to be that all recipients are notable.