Ordre national du Mérite Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ordre national du Mérite
Sash, badge and star of a Grand Cross
Awarded by the President of France
Type	Order of merit
Established	3 December 1963
Ribbon	Blue
Awarded for	Distinguished civil or military achievements
Status	Active
Grand Master	President Emmanuel Macron
Grades	Grand Cross Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight
Statistics
First induction	1963
Precedence
Next (higher)	Military Medal
Next (lower)	National Recognition Medal for Victims of Terrorism
Related	Order of Agricultural Merit Order of Maritime Merit
Grand-croix Grand-officier Commandeur Officier Chevalier Ribbon bars of the order

The Ordre national du Mérite (which means "National Order of Merit" in English) is a special award in France. The President of the French Republic gives this award to people who have done great things for their country. It was started on December 3, 1963, by President Charles de Gaulle.

This award was created for two main reasons. First, it replaced many smaller awards that different government departments used to give out. Second, it offered an award for achievements that were important but perhaps not quite at the level of the very famous Legion of Honour. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of people have received this honor.

History of the National Order of Merit
- Awards Replaced by the Order
How the Order is Organized
- Who Can Receive the Award?
- Different Levels of the Order
What the Insignia Looks Like
- Buttonhole Ribbons
Famous People Who Received the Order
- French Citizens
- Foreign Nationals
See also

History of the National Order of Merit

The National Order of Merit has recognized many people since it began. About 185,000 people are currently members. In its first 50 years, over 306,000 people were given this award or promoted within it. A cool fact is that half of the people who receive this award are required to be women.

Awards Replaced by the Order

Before the National Order of Merit was created, France had many different awards. These awards were given by various government ministries or for specific colonial services. The new Order of Merit brought all these different awards under one main system.

Some of the older awards it replaced included:

The Order of the Star of Anjouan (from 1874)
The Order of Light (from 1887)
The Order of the Black Star (from 1889)

It also replaced many special awards for different jobs, like:

The Order of Societal Merit (from 1936)
The Order of Public Health (from 1938)
The Order of Commercial and Industrial Merit (from 1939)
The Order of Sports Merit (from 1956)
The Order of Military Merit (from 1957)

How the Order is Organized

The National Order of Merit has clear rules about who can join and how it works.

Who Can Receive the Award?

Both French citizens and people from other countries can receive this award. It is given to men and women who have shown outstanding achievements in military or civilian life. These achievements are important, but they are usually not as high-level as those needed for the Legion of Honour.

The President of the French Republic is the main leader of the order. This leader is called the Grand Master. The President chooses all the members, usually based on advice from the French government. The Order of Merit shares an office and a leader (called a Chancellor) with the Legion of Honour. Every Prime Minister of France automatically becomes a Grand Cross of the order after serving for six months.

Different Levels of the Order

The Order has five different levels, just like the Legion of Honour. These levels show how long someone has been a member and how much they have achieved.

Knight (Chevalier): This is the first level. To become a Knight, a person must be at least 35 years old. They also need to have at least 10 years of public service and have shown "distinguished merits." For military officers, this level is usually reached after 15 years of good service.
Officer (Officier): To become an Officer, a Knight must have been at that rank for at least 5 years. For military officers, this is achieved after seven years as a Knight.
Commander (Commandeur): To become a Commander, an Officer must have been at that rank for at least 5 years. For military officers, this is achieved after five years as an Officer.

There are also two higher levels, called dignities:

Grand Officer (Grand Officier): To reach this level, a Commander must have been at that rank for at least 3 years.
Grand Cross (Grand-Croix): This is the highest level. To become a Grand Cross, a Grand Officer must have been at that rank for at least 3 years.

What the Insignia Looks Like

The medal and star of the Order were designed by a French sculptor named Max Leognany.

The medal is a blue, six-pointed star with laurel leaves between the points. It looks like a Maltese cross. The front has the head of Marianne, who represents the French Republic. The back shows French flags and the name of the order with its founding date.
The star (or plaque) is worn by Grand Officers and Grand Cross members. It's a sunburst shape with twelve points, often with blue enamel rays. The center also features the head of Marianne and the name of the Order.
The ribbon for the medal is a solid blue color. For the Officer level and higher, a small flower-like decoration called a rosette is added to the ribbon.

Here is how the different levels wear their insignia:

Knight – wears the medal on the left side of their chest.
Officer – wears the medal with a rosette on the left side of their chest.
Commander – wears the medal around their neck.
Grand Officer – wears the medal with a rosette on the left side of their chest, plus the star on the right side of their stomach.
Grand Cross – wears a wide sash from their right shoulder to their left hip, and the star on the left side of their stomach.