Annual Awards Program

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News on 2021 Awards

Every year the Foundation honors exemplary works of art that further the understanding of Marine Corps history, traditions, culture and service through the Annual Awards Program. Due to COVID-19 and subsequent delays in the 2020 Awards Dinner, the Foundation has made the decision to delay the 2021 award nomination process. Submissions for 2020 and 2021 works of art will be accepted beginning November 15, 2021.

​2020 Award Winners Announced! View list here. 

The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Annual Awards program recognizes exemplary work that furthers the understanding of Marine Corps history, traditions, culture and service. Judged by Marines and civilian experts, the Annual Awards are a mark of distinction and achievement for journalists, writers, photographers, artists and scholars.

Previous winners include best-selling authors, celebrated novelists, national columnists, network producers, and active Marines with extraordinary talent. The Foundation honors their work in recognition of the difficulty and importance of accurately telling the Marine Corps story. Many past recipients also put themselves in harm’s way to witness first-hand the dangerous work of Marines operating in the world’s most remote locations.

The Foundation presents awards to both Marines and civilians. Each winner receives a $2,000 cash prize (if applicable), a medallion and a commemorative brick along the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park pathway adjacent to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

For questions about the awards program, please contact awards@marineheritage.org.  
 Award categories and subcategories to be honored during our Annual Awards Ceremony are:
Categories in Journalism

Dispatch Reporting – The Major Megan McClung Award is named for the first female Marine Corps officer killed in combat in the Iraq War where she was serving as a public affairs officer and is given for a distinguished example of reporting by an individual covering United States Marines abroad.
 
Submission requirements:  Submissions can be articles, taped interviews, blogs, website URLs or documentaries. The year of the reporting piece does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Applicants must include the full article, website URL, taped interview or documentary, along with an overview (one page or less) detailing the reporting assignment, including the reporter’s name and media outlet, the reporting subject, when, where and why the submission should be considered for the award. The overview must include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application. Submissions must be submitted electronically as a PDF or mailed on a DVD. Taped interviews and documentary submissions should be mailed in on a DVD.
Local Reporting – The General Oliver P. Smith Award is named for the Commanding General of the First Marine Division in Korea who, through his steadfast leadership in the field, created the circumstances for future viability and growth of the Marine Corps.  Prior to 2011, it was given in recognition of a special contribution to the preservation of the heritage of the Marine Corps. Beginning in 2011 it is given for a distinguished example of local news reporting by an individual that illuminates the U.S. Marine Corps relationship with local communities.
 
Submission requirements:  Submissions may be articles, website URLs, taped interviews or documentaries. The year of the reporting does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Applicants must include the full article, website URLs, taped interview or documentary, along with an overview (one page or less) detailing the reporting assignment, including the reporter’s name and media outlet, the reporting subject, when, where and why the submission should be considered for the award. The overview must include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.
Feature Writing (General) – The Colonel Robert Debs Heinl, Jr. Award is given in memory of the distinguished Marine Corps officer, journalist, and historian. He was a founder of the Heritage Foundation and author of Soldiers of the Sea. The award is given to the author of the best article pertinent to Marine Corps history published in a newspaper, magazine, journal, or other periodical during the preceding year.
 
Submission requirements:  Submissions may be either articles, website URLs or blog posts, as the submitter sees fit. The year the piece was created does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Applicants must include the full article or website URL, along with an overview (one page or less) detailing the reporting assignment, including the reporter’s name and media outlet, the reporting subject, when, where and why the submission should be considered for the award. The overview must include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.


Feature Writing (Enlisted) – The Master Sergeant Tom Bartlett Award, named for the late Managing Editor of Leatherneck magazine and leading Marine photojournalist, was previously given for the year’s best still photography related to a Marine Corps subject.

Submission requirements:  Submissions may be either articles, website URLs or blog posts, as the submitter sees fit. The year the piece was created does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.

Applicants must include the full article or website URL, along with an overview (one page or less) detailing the reporting assignment, including the reporter’s name and media outlet, the reporting subject, when, where and why the submission should be considered for the award. The overview must include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.
Feature Writing (Aviation) – The General Roy S. Geiger Award, was established by Colonel G.F. Robert Hanke, USMCR, in memory of his father, Wing Commander Ralph Hanke, Royal Air Force. It is named for General Geiger, the fifth designated naval aviator in Marine Corps history, who commanded both air and ground units during World War II. The award is given to the author of the best article published during the preceding year in the field of Marine Corps aviation.
 
Submission requirements:  Submissions must be articles published in 2020 or 2021.
 
Applicants must include the full article or website URL, along with an overview (one page or less) detailing: the author’s name and affiliation, the publication name, and why the submission should be considered for the award. Please include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application in the overview. 
Photojournalism (Album) – The Sergeant Major Dan Daly Award was established in memory of the legendary recipient of two Medals of Honor. Prior to 2011, the award was given for superior writing pertinent to Marine Corps history during the preceding year by an enlisted writer for a Marine Corps post or station periodical. Beginning in 2011, the award recognizes a distinguished example of still photography by an individual, in black and white or color, which consists of a collection of photographs capturing U.S. Marines or Marine Corps life.
 
Submission requirements:  Applicants must submit a series of three or more photos. The year that the photos were taken does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Applicants must include all three (or more) photos along with an overview (one page or less) including the photographer’s name and affiliation, when the photos were taken, the photo assignment and why the submission should be considered for the award. The name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application should be included in the overview. Photos may be mailed in on a DVD or sent electronically as a PDF or  JPEG file.
Photojournalism (Single) – The Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal Award is named for the Marine awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions in the Battle for Fallujah and given for a distinguished example of a single still photograph by an individual which captures the character of the individual Marine or the core values of the U.S. Marine Corps.
 
Submission requirements:  Applicants must submit a single photo. The year the photo was taken does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Applicants must include the photo along with an overview (one page or less) detailing the photographer’s name, when the photos were taken, the photo assignment and why the submission should be considered for the award. The name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application should be included in the overview. Photos may be physically mailed on a DVD or sent electronically as a PDF or JPEG file.
Categories in Letters and the Arts

Fiction – The James Webb Award is named for the Senator, author and Navy Cross recipient.  It is given for distinguished fiction dealing with U.S. Marines or Marine Corps life.
 
Submission requirements:  Applicants must mail the publication with an overview (one page or less) including the title of the fiction book, publisher’s name, address and contact information, and the author’s name. The overview should give a brief summary of the book and explain why the submission should be considered for the award. The overview must also include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application. The publication date does not matter, though preferably in the calendar year years 2020 or 2021.
Autobiography/Biography – The Colonel Joseph Alexander Award recognizes a distinguished work of biographical or autobiographical literature about a Marine and is given in memory of Colonel Joe Alexander, historian, author, and longtime friend of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. 
 
Submission requirements:  The publication date does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021. The entry must include an overview (one page or less) including the title of the book, publisher’s name, address and contact information, and the author’s name. Overview should include a brief summary of the book and why it should be considered for the award. The overview must also include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.
Poetry – The Robert A. Gannon Award named after the noted poet, is given for a volume of original verse by a Marine poet dealing with Marine Corps life.
 
Submission requirements:  Submissions may be a collection of three or more poems, or a book of poems. The poems’ publication date(s) does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
The poems may be submitted electronically in PDF format or sent in the mail. Submissions must include a one page overview with the title of the work, publisher’s name, address and contact information, the author’s name and why the submission should be considered for the award. The overview must also include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.
General Non-Fiction – The General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Award is named for the 23rd Commandant of the Marine Corps, who during his distinguished Marine Corps career gave stature to the historical program, as we know it today. He is a founding member of the Heritage Foundation. The Greene Award is given to the author of the outstanding nonfiction book, published during the preceding three years pertinent to Marine Corps history.
 
Submission requirements:  Submissions must include a summary of the content of the non-fiction book, along with a one page (or less) overview. The overview must include the title of the book of non-fiction, the author’s name, the publisher’s name, address and contact information, and why the submission should be considered for the award. The publication date of the non-fiction piece does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
Documentary Feature – The Major Norman Hatch Award , named for the pioneer combat camera team leader whose color motion picture footage at Tarawa and Iwo Jima, among many other accomplishments, brought the Marine Corps story vividly to the American people, is given for the best documentary (longer than 40 minutes) videotape dealing with historical or current Marine Corps subjects.
 
Submission requirements:  Applicants must submit by mail 4 DVD copies of the feature with video summary and selected portions of the documentary feature. The year the documentary was produced does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Submissions must include a brief overview (one page or less) with the film’s title, producer’s name, and why the piece was submitted. The overview must also include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.
Documentary Short Subject – The Sergeant William Genaust Award is named for the motion picture cameraman who filmed the 1945 flag raising on Mount Suribachi shortly before he was killed in action on Iwo Jima. It is given for a producer of a documentary and short subject (motion pictures with a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits) dealing creatively with U.S. Marine Corps heritage or Marine Corps life.  An eligible documentary film is defined as a non-fiction motion picture photographed in actual occurrence. The subject may also employ stock footage, stills, interviews, animation or other techniques, with emphasis on fact, not on fiction.
 
Submission requirements:  Applicants must submit by mail 4 DVD copies of the feature with video summary and selected portions of the documentary feature. The year the documentary was produced does not matter, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Submissions must include a brief overview (one page or less) with the film’s title, producer’s name, and why the piece was submitted. The overview must also include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.
Memoir – The Eugene Sledge Award is presented for the best memoir published during the preceding three years and named for the Marine Corporal, university professor and author of “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa.”
 
Submission requirements:  Submissions must include a summary of the content of the book, along with a one page (or less) overview. The overview must include the title of the book, the author's name, the publisher's name, address and contact information, and why the submission should be considered for the award. The date of publication should be during calendar years 2020 or 2021.
Combat Art – The Colonel John W. Thomason Jr. Award was established in memory of this decorated combat officer, known for his artwork illustrating Marines in World War I, China, and Latin America. It is given for excellence in the fine or applied arts, including photography, in depicting the historic or contemporary Marine Corps. 
Media may include sculpture, paintings, drawings and illustrations in color or black and white. Computer graphics will be considered, but art used must be original work. 
 
Submission requirements:  Applicants may submit pictures of the combat art, rather than the original art work. It does not matter when the art was created, though preferably in the calendar years 2020 or 2021. Photos of the combat art may be mailed in on a DVD or sent electronically as a PDF or JPEG file. With the submission, include a brief overview (one page or less) with the artist’s name, the piece’s subject, and why it should be considered for the award. The overview must also include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.
Drama - The Bill Broyles Award is named for the Vietnam veteran and screenwriter of “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Jarhead,” “Apollo 13,” “Castaway,” and “Khe Sanh.” it is given to a playwright or screenwriter for a dramatic work dealing with U.S. Marine Corps heritage or Marine Corps life. 

Submission requirements:  Submission must include a brief synopsis of the work, as well as a copy of the play or screenplay. 
Category in Exhibitry & Historical Display
Exhibit and Historical Display - The Colonel John Magruder Award is named for the first director of the Marine Corps Museum. It is given to an individual or an organization that makes available to the public an exhibit pertaining to Marine Corps history. The exhibit portrays panels, text, art and/or artifacts at a traveling or fixed location.  The exhibits must be displayed in the previous calendar year and be available to the public for a period of at least six months. 
 
Submission requirements:  Applicants may submit video, photos or diagrams to best showcase the integrity of the exhibit or display. 
 
Applicants must include a short descriptive overview (one page or less) of the project including:  who created the exhibit, the purpose of the exhibit, where/when it was displayed and what made it unique and instructive for the specific period of Marine Corps history it is depicting. The overview must also include the name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address of the person submitting the application.