Order of Merit Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive. Some orders of precedence are as follows: Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by King Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign—currently Edward VII's great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II—and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms, plus a limited number of honorary members. While all members are awarded the right to
Hessian Order of Merit class. Women wear the cross of the Order on a bow of ribbon below the left shoulder. Hessian Order of Merit The Hessian Order of Merit () is a civil order of merit, and the highest award of the German State of Hesse. The order was established 1 December 1989. The order is presented by the Minister-President of Hesse based on nominations from citizens, though self-nominations are not permitted. The order honours men and women for outstanding contributions to Hesse and may be awarded without regard to residence or citizenship. The order is presented in two classes, the first class