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 (Ukraine) decoration of independent Ukraine. The Honorary Award was instituted by Ukrainian president Leonid Kravchuk on August 18, 1992. On September 22, 1996, it was transformed into three classes of the Order of Merit. Recipients of the Honorary Award of the President of Ukraine are considered to be equal to the recipients of the Order of Merit and they are recognised as holders of the Order of Merit 3rd Class retaining the right to wear decorations that have been granted. Granting the Honorary Award of the President of Ukraine was discontinued following the institution of the Order of Merit. Awards to