The Jamaican honours system has developed as a unique entity since the passage of the ''National Honours and Awards Act'' by the

Parliament of Jamaica The Parliament of Jamaica () is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. Officially, they are known as the Houses of Parliament. It consists of three elements: The Monarchy of Jamaica, Crown (represented by the Govern ...

in 1969 (Act No. 21 of 1969). The system is modelled largely on the

British honours system In the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories, personal bravery, achievement, or service are rewarded with honours. The honours system consists of three types of award: *Honours are used to recognise merit in terms of achievement a ...

, which was formerly conferred on Jamaicans. The

Governor-General of Jamaica The governor-general of Jamaica () is the representative of the Jamaican monarch, currently King Charles III, in Jamaica. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Jamaica. The functions ...

serves as the

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the orders. Membership is conferred by the Governor-General upon the advice of the

Prime Minister of Jamaica The prime minister of Jamaica () is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as prime minister on 7 September 2020, having been re-elected as a result ...

. Most Jamaican honours allow recipients to place

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters, or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, an academic degree, accreditation ...

after their names, and some honours include pre-nominal styles."National Awards of Jamaica"
Jamaica Information Service, accessed May 12, 2015.

Honours

The honours in this Jamaican system are as follows, from highest to lowest in rank: In exercise of the royal prerogative,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, as King of Jamaica, awards the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) to the incumbent

. This, however, is mainly ceremonial. No other British/Commonwealth honour is awarded in Jamaica, but they are able to be awarded with advice given to the King of Jamaica, via the incumbent

with approval from the Cabinet of Jamaica.

Medals

Awards

References

External links

Jamaica's Honours
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 7 August 2012, retrieved 7 August 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jamaican Honours System Jamaica and the Commonwealth of Nations