Nominating someone for a bravery award

Download the application form (in Dutch only) and submit the completed form to the mayor of the municipality in which the incident took place. If you have any questions about a possible nomination, please contact the municipality. Unlike for the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands or the Order of Orange-Nassau, the mayor does not play an advisory role in the awarding of the medal. The Civil Honours Council advises the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations directly on the nomination. 

Platform for Recognising Acts of Bravery

The Medal for Acts of Humanity, like the Dutch orders of chivalry, is a royal decoration. There are also private organisations that award decorations for civilian acts of courage. The best-known are the Dutch Carnegie Hero Fund and the Society for the Prevention of Drowning. Both organisations award medals to people who have saved, or attempted to save, the lives of others. The Medal for Acts of Humanity is usually awarded when there was also a clear danger to the recipient’s own life. The Chancery of the Netherlands Orders maintains close contact with these other organisations through the Platform for Recognising Acts of Bravery. For example, each year the platform organises a National Heroes Day. If a nomination for a Medal for Acts of Humanity is refused, the Chancery can pass the file on to another member of the Platform. This is always done in consultation with the person who submitted the nomination.