Scout officials say about six scouts from throughout Dunedin usually qualify for the demanding Queen's Scout award each year.
But this is believed to be the first time five scouts from any one of the city's 17 scout groups gained the honour at the same time.
The five scouts, 18-year-olds Jeremy Barnes, Matthew Chilcott, Christopher Eathorne-Gould, Luke Bridgman and Brian Templeton - all now studying at the University of Otago - celebrated their achievement at a recent function in their honour at the Tainui Scout Hall, Dunedin.
Scouts lower South Island regional development manager Kevin McRae said gaining the prestigious award was a ''phenomenal'' outcome for the five scouts, and had required a ''huge commitment''.
Mr Chilcott said the awards had involved a ''huge amount of work'' over three years, and had also highlighted the importance of teamwork.
''We couldn't have got there without working together,'' he said.
All five scouts were pleased their hard work had paid off and Mr Bridgman said he felt ''really good'' about completing the challenge.
