RYLA Certificate of Participation Template
A free, editable template for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. Fill in your district details and email every participant a digital certificate they can verify with a single link.
Made for RYLA chairs and host clubs who do not want to spend the week after the seminar retyping participant names in Word.
Template hosted on Google Drive. No signup required to download.
Walkthrough: customize the template and issue certificates in bulk
What is a RYLA Certificate of Participation?
A RYLA Certificate of Participation is a formal acknowledgment that a young person attended and completed a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program. Rotary International runs RYLA in almost every district, usually as a 3 to 10 day seminar, weekend camp, or one-day workshop.
The certificate is what participants take home from the closing ceremony. It then ends up on a CV, on a college application, or pinned to a corkboard at home. The participant owns the document; your district is the one vouching for it.
Most districts now hand out two: a paper certificate at the ceremony for the photo, and a digital one that stays in the participant’s inbox. The digital version is what gets shared on LinkedIn six months later when they apply for an internship.
What goes on the certificate
Here is the actual template. The bracketed fields are what you fill in for your district and program before you issue.
Participant’s full name
Spelled the way they spelled it on the registration form. Misspellings are the number one reason a certificate gets reissued.
Program name and dates
For example, “RYLA 2026 District 3281 Weekend Seminar, 12–14 June 2026”. Specific dates make the certificate verifiable later.
Issuing district and club
District number plus the host club. If the program ran across multiple districts, list both so participants can be verified by either.
Signatures
Usually the RYLA chair and the district governor. Add the club president if it is a club-run program. Use names of people who actually ran this year’s seminar.
Rotary wheel and theme
The Rotary wheel is non-negotiable. Theme art for the year is optional, but participants tend to like it because it visually dates the certificate.
Verification URL or QR
Only on the digital version. A unique link per participant means a recruiter can confirm the certificate without phoning your district secretary.
How to create RYLA certificates online (in bulk)
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1
Download the template
Open the Google Drive folder and pick the template that matches the format you ran (one-day, weekend, or full-week).
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2
Add your district details
Edit the template with the district number, club name, program name, and seminar dates. Drop in the RYLA chair and district governor signatures.
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3
Upload your participant list
In Issue Badge, upload a CSV with each participant’s name and email. The system fills the certificate for every row, so the registrar does not retype anything.
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4
Send and verify
Send by email in one batch. Each certificate gets its own verification URL so participants can prove they attended without going back to the district office.
We’re thinking about building a RYLA management platform.
One flat fee per event. $99 one-time, per RYLA. No per-participant pricing, no monthly subscription.
If $99 sounds fair to you, tell us. The first districts that reply get featured as launch partners and help shape what gets built first.
Participant registration
Custom forms with the fields your district actually asks about.
Volunteer management
Schedule shifts, assign roles, send reminders so volunteers actually show up.
Sponsor management
Track tiers, what was promised, and where each sponsor logo ends up.
Budget tracking
Line-item expenses, income, and a real-time balance.
Fee collection
PayPal or Stripe out of the box. We can wire in any other gateway your district already uses.
Participant directory
Searchable by year, district, and program. Alumni stay reachable.
Public RYLA website
A site that carries previous-year data forward instead of starting from zero every season.
Event & session schedule
Participants pull up the app and see what is happening, where, and when. No printed agendas to lose.
Is $99 fair? Tell us.
If $99 one-time per RYLA event sounds reasonable, email support@issuebadge.com and we’ll build it. If you have a feature we missed, mention it in the same email.
Email support@issuebadge.comFrequently asked questions
What does RYLA stand for? ▾
RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. It is a leadership development program run by Rotary International, organized at the district or multi-district level for participants typically aged 14 to 30.
How long is a RYLA program? ▾
Most RYLA programs run between 3 and 10 days. Some districts run a single weekend camp; others run a residential seminar over a week. One-day RYLA workshops also exist for younger participants.
Can a participant put a RYLA certificate on a CV or college application? ▾
Yes. RYLA is recognized internationally because it is run by Rotary International. A digital certificate with a verification URL is the most useful format because admissions officers and recruiters can confirm it instantly.
Who signs a RYLA Certificate of Participation? ▾
Usually the RYLA chair and the district governor. Some clubs also add the club president or program director. Signatures should match the people who actually ran that year’s program.
Is the RYLA certificate template free? ▾
Yes. The template is free to download from the Google Drive folder linked above. Issuing certificates through Issue Badge is also free on the starter plan.
Can I issue RYLA certificates in bulk? ▾
Yes. Upload a CSV with participant names and emails. Issue Badge generates one personalized certificate per row, sends them by email, and gives each one its own verification page.
Issue your RYLA certificates this year.
Grab the free template, or sign in and email digital certificates straight from Issue Badge.
RYLA is one of several recognition programs we cover. See the full Rotary, Lions and service-club hub for member induction, district conferences, peace fellowships and more.