| Order of Barbados | |
|---|---|
Awarded by  Government of Barbados | |
| Type | National Honour |
| Established | 25 July 1980 |
| Eligibility | Citizens of Barbados. |
| Awarded for | Service to Barbados. |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Chancellor | President of Barbados |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of National Heroes |
| Next (lower) | Various awards |
 Ribbon of the order (1980 to 2021) | |
The Order of Barbados is a national Order of honours and decorations for Barbados.
The first Order of Barbados was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent dated 25 July 1980. [1] [2] [3] With Barbados becoming a republic on 30 November 2021, a new Order of Barbados came into force that was established with the Barbados National Honors and Decorations Act 2021 by the Parliament of Barbados on 28 October 2021, and which replaced the former Order of Barbados that existed under the monarchy. [4]
The Order under the Republic of Barbados consists of the following honours and decorations: [4]
| Award | Grade | Post-nominal letters | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order of Freedom of Barbados | Member | FB | The Most Honourable [5] |
| Order of the Republic | Member | OR | The Honourable |
| Gold Award of Achievement | — | GA [6] | — |
| Trident of Excellence | Gold Trident of Excellence | GTE | — |
| Silver Trident of Excellence | STE | — | |
| Barbados Service Award | Barbados Service Star | BSS | — |
| Barbados Service Medal | BSM | — | |
| Barbados Services Medal of Honour | — | — | — |
| Barbados Humanitarian Service Award | — | — | — |
| Award of Pride of Barbados | — | — | — |
| Prime Minister’s Award for Leadership | — | — | — |
The Order while Barbados was still a Commonwealth realm (1966–2021) consisted of four classes of members, two of which were subdivided into two grades. There was a limit as to how many appointments could be made to each grade each year. [3] [7]
| Class | Grade | Post-nominal letters | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knight or Dame of St. Andrew | — | KA/DA | Sir or Dame |
| Companion of Honour of Barbados | — | CHB | The Honourable |
| Crown of Merit | Gold Crown of Merit | GCM | — |
| Silver Crown of Merit | SCM | — | |
| Barbados Service Award | Barbados Service Star | BSS | — |
| Barbados Service Medal | BSM | — |
When the Order of the Commonwealth realm of Barbados became obsolete, no further appointments were made with this former Order, although "all appointments, awards or decorations conferred prior to 30 November 2021 pursuant to the Letters Patent shall continue to be acknowledged as validly conferred; and all holders of appointments, awards or decorations conferred pursuant to the Letters Patent shall be deemed to be members of the (new) Order". [4]