Nominees must be U.S. residents (excluding Puerto Rico) who are 18 years or older, active U.S. military, a member of one of the military reserves, in the National Guard, or a veteran.
To be considered for this award the advisory board committee is looking for Nominees with exceptional service or achievements, including one or more of the following criteria:
- Service members whose recent personal experience and achievements embodies the spirit of professional excellence, personal sacrifice and resilience that make the military great.
- Service members whose recent actions in their military career have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
- Service members whose recent personal experience highlights the changing needs and institutional agility that are essential to modern military readiness.
- Service members with significant off-duty community service work that highlights the non-institutional aspects of commitment to public service.
In 2018 a new award had been added to recognize former service members for their outstanding accomplishments out of uniform. The Veteran of the Year Award recognizes and honors an exceptional veteran who, through his character, spirit, and exceptional public service sets an example, and makes an extraordinary difference in their community, for their comrade veterans and for awareness of essential military and veteran issue