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
Order of Merit of Berlin Order of Merit of Berlin The Order of Merit of Berlin () is this highest award of the German State of Berlin. Awarded in the name of the Senate of Berlin, the order had recognized outstanding contributions to the State of Berlin since 21 July 1987. Awarded each year on 1 October, the anniversary of the Berlin Constitution, the order is limited to no more than 400 living recipients. As of 2016 the order had been awarded 431 times, to 152 women and 279 men. The Order of Merit of Berlin is awarded in a single class. The badge of