The Merit Award Program is an instructional enrichment program for students preparing for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. The program is a competency-based approach to career preparation in the career cluster/pathways identified and is based on individual member achievement accompanied with a recognition program for each member.
Merit Award Program activities correspond to the competencies needed in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management occupations. The activities progress in depth and complexity from the bronze level to the silver level and to the gold level. Activities should be planned in relation to one another, to the career field and to the career objective of the member. The DECA advisor should guide the member in the proper selection of activities based on the member’s individual needs and abilities as well as the total instructional program.
All participants must begin at the bronze level. It is imperative that all activities be reviewed and analyzed in the planning stage so that they are all meaningful and relevant to the member’s career interests. Merit Award Program should be initiated early in the school year so that members will realize the greater benefits from their involvement.
Objectives:
- To broaden the opportunities for DECA member recognition at the local, state, and international level.
- To provide a means for individual member expression of initiative and creativity.
- To motivate members to assume responsibility for self-improvement.
- To explore the opportunities available in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.
- To develop a greater awareness of the importance of marketing, finance, hospitality, and management in the economy.
- To increase the college and career preparedness of DECA members.
State Conference Competition
Gold level Merit Awards Program (MIGMAP) projects need to be uploaded to the competition portal by the chapter advisor during the window of February 9-15, 2027.
The upload will need to be in one file that includes only Gold level activities. Complete instructions are posted on the right in January.
The Statement of Assurances and Academic Integrity form should be a separate PDF file from the project.
Please note: if you have used Canva, follow the directions in the Online Project Submission Instructions how to export and save your project correctly for online submission.
A hard copy of the Bronze, Silver and Gold level activities must be submitted to Michigan DECA to be received by February 25, 2027.
We strongly recommend shipping with a service that offers tracking of packages.
Late arrivals will not be judged, so be sure that it arrives by February 25, 2027.
We do not receive shipments on the weekends, even if you have paid extra for the service.