The highest civilian award in the US is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, given by the President, with the Congressional Gold Medal standing as its equal on the legislative side as the highest honor Congress can bestow. The two exist in parallel rather than in a ranking: one flows from a single decision by the President, the other from a bill passed by both chambers and signed into law. Together they sit at the top of a small system of civilian honors that also includes the Presidential Citizens Medal, the National Medal of Arts, and the National Medal of Science.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom
President John F. Kennedy created the modern Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 through Executive Order 11085, which amended and renamed an earlier Medal of Freedom that President Harry S. Truman had established in 1945. Kennedy’s version broadened the award well beyond its wartime origins, opening it to anyone who has made an outstanding contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 11085 – The Presidential Medal of Freedom
The medal comes in two grades. The standard version is a neck medal. The elevated grade, known as “With Distinction,” replaces the neck medal with a larger breast star and a royal blue sash worn over the right shoulder, with a badge fastened at the left hip. Only a handful of people have ever received the higher grade, and some presidents have never awarded it at all.
Eligibility is essentially open. Anyone in the world can receive it, regardless of citizenship or nationality. There is no formal public nomination process, no fixed schedule, and no cap on how many medals may be awarded in a given year. The award can also be given posthumously.2Congressional Research Service. Presidential Medal of Freedom
The President holds nearly unlimited discretion over who receives it. Executive Order 11085 established a board to screen recommendations and submit nominations, but the President can bypass the board entirely and choose someone on their own initiative or accept suggestions from any individual or group.1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 11085 – The Presidential Medal of Freedom Because the choice rests with one person, recipient lists tend to reflect a given administration’s priorities. Recent honorees have included scientists, athletes, entertainers, civil rights leaders, and foreign dignitaries.2Congressional Research Service. Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Congressional Gold Medal
Congress has commissioned gold medals as its highest expression of national appreciation since the American Revolution. The very first went to General George Washington on March 25, 1776, for the siege and recapture of Boston, making it the oldest honor of its kind in the country and predating the Constitution itself.3U.S. House of Representatives. Congressional Gold Medal Recipients Early medals went almost exclusively to military leaders. Congress has since expanded the practice to include scientists, artists, athletes, humanitarians, and public servants.
No single person decides who gets a Congressional Gold Medal. Each one requires its own piece of legislation, introduced as a bill in either the House or Senate, passed by both chambers, and signed by the President. No permanent statute governs the process; each Congress sets its own internal rules for how these bills advance.4Congressional Research Service. Congressional Gold Medals – Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for Congress
In the 119th Congress (2025–2026), the House majority leader’s protocols allow only five gold medal bills to reach the floor per Congress, and each must have at least 290 cosponsors before the Committee on Financial Services will schedule it. The Senate Banking Committee requires at least 67 senators to cosponsor a bill before it will consider one.4Congressional Research Service. Congressional Gold Medals – Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for Congress Those thresholds mean a gold medal reflects broad bipartisan agreement rather than one party’s enthusiasm.
Once the bill becomes law, the Secretary of the Treasury directs the U.S. Mint to design and produce the medal. The original is solid gold. Congress typically also authorizes the Mint to produce and sell bronze duplicates to the public.4Congressional Research Service. Congressional Gold Medals – Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for Congress Because each medal is created by standalone legislation, there are no fixed eligibility rules; Congress can honor anyone it chooses to write a bill for, and recipients have been recognized posthumously, including a 2024 medal honoring Shirley Chisholm decades after her death.3U.S. House of Representatives. Congressional Gold Medal Recipients
How the Two Top Honors Compare
Prestige is essentially equal. Selection could not be more different.
The Medal of Freedom is fast and personal. The President can act at any time, choose anyone, and announce recipients without any legislative or advisory process standing in the way. The Congressional Gold Medal is slow and collective. A bill has to be drafted, introduced, gather hundreds of cosponsors, clear committee, pass both chambers, and be signed by the President before the Mint even begins design work. The full path from introduction to a physical medal can take years.
Eligibility also diverges. The Medal of Freedom is open globally. The Gold Medal has no fixed eligibility rules but is constrained by whatever consensus Congress can build around a particular honoree. Both allow posthumous awards.1The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 11085 – The Presidential Medal of Freedom
Other Civilian Honors Below the Top Tier
Several other presidential awards round out the system, each targeting a different sphere of achievement. They sit below the Medal of Freedom in the hierarchy of presidential honors.
Presidential Citizens Medal
President Richard Nixon created the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1969 through Executive Order 11494 as the second-highest honor a president can bestow. It recognizes U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.5The American Presidency Project. Executive Order 11494 – Establishing the Presidential Citizens Medal Where the Medal of Freedom often honors a lifetime of prominent achievement, the Citizens Medal frequently highlights a specific act or sustained community-level effort. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens, and the President awards it at sole discretion.
National Medal of Arts
Congress authorized the National Medal of Arts in 1984. No more than twelve may be awarded in any calendar year. The President selects recipients based on recommendations from the National Council on the Arts, and eligibility is narrower than for the Medal of Freedom: recipients must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents who have filed for naturalization, and groups must be organized or incorporated in the United States.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 20 955b – National Medal of Arts The National Endowment for the Arts solicits public nominations each year before the Council begins its review.7National Endowment for the Arts. National Medal of Arts – Fact Sheet
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science recognizes outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioral sciences. A presidentially appointed committee of distinguished scientists and engineers screens all nominees, working alongside recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences, before names go to the White House.8GovInfo. United States Code Title 42 1881 – Award of National Medal of Science The process runs on a fixed annual calendar, which makes it more procedurally rigid than the Medal of Freedom, where the President can act at any time.