Does your council or chapter stand apart from the rest? Do you want to recognize a member of your community for their hard work? Check below to learn more.

[ARCHIVED WEBINAR: Council and Chapter Leaders Roundtable: MOAA Awards]

Nomination of MOAA Awards, Certificates of Recognition, and Pins

• National MOAA has certificates available that have been specially printed for various types of recognition of individuals. These certificates for chapter preparation and presentation include an affiliate "Certificate of Appreciation" for outstanding service, as well as a series of templates that can be tailored for various programs and awardees. Click here to see watermarked samples of these documents and learn how to order them. 

• Present and past council and chapter president pins are available to recognize outgoing and incoming presidents. Please note that all new presidents will receive a ‘new presidents pin’ as soon as the update is made on the council or chapter Committee Module (CM). Click here for ordering information.

• National-level awards, including Leadership and 100th birthday certificates, are available by nomination. Click here to learn more about the process and to nominate deserving individuals.

MOAA Levels of Excellence Awards

• Each year, councils and chapters may request to be recognized for one of three Levels of Excellence awards.
• NOW OPEN: Submit your materials for the 2022 Levels of Excellence awards.
• Check out the winners from the 2021 calendar year | Awards Ceremony (Video) | Photo Gallery
• Check out the winners from the 2020 calendar year.
• Check out the winners from the 2019 calendar year.
• Check out the winners from the 2018 calendar year.

Col. Marvin J. Harris Communications Awards 

• MOAA's annual contest identifying those councils and chapters that do an outstanding job communicating with their members. Print/E-Newsletter and Website categories. Digital submissions only. Learn more here.
• Congratulations to the 2022 award winners! Click here for the full list, including a printable PDF download.

Colonel Steve Strobridge Legislative Chair/Liaison Award

• UPDATED APRIL 25, 2023, WITH NOMINATION FORM LINK: This annual award recognizes an affiliate Legislative Chair or Liaison who has demonstrated superior service to their council/chapter and national MOAA in support of national and/or state legislation which affects servicemembers, veterans, retirees, and their families. Award criteria and nomination form for the 2023 award can be accessed at this link. Learn more about past award recipients:
  • 2022: Col. Michael Kelly, USAF (Ret), (Kansas Council of Chapters) and Col. Ron Sarg, USAF (Dover, Del., Chapter)
  • 2021: Col. Lee Lange, USMC (Ret) (Arizona Council of Chapters)
  • 2020: Lt. Col. Shelly Kalkowski, USAF (Ret) (Colorado Council of Chapters)
  • 2019: Maj. James Cunningham USA (Ret) (Alamo Chapter)
  • 2018: Brig. Gen. Paul Cohen, USAF (Ret) (Heartland of America Chapter)
  • 2017: Col. Lorna Griess, USA (Ret) (California Council of Chapters)

Surviving Spouse Liaison Excellence Award

• UPDATED APRIL 18, 2023, WITH NOMINATION FORM LINKS: Surviving Spouse Liaisons work at the Council and Chapter level to ensure fellow survivors remain connected to the military family and participate in local and national programs and advocacy efforts. Learn more about this position here. Nominate a surviving spouse liaison for the 2023 award by submitting this year's nomination form, available in PDF and Microsoft Word formats. Past award recipients:
  • 2022: Judith Thomas (Texas) and Patricia Bergquist (Tennessee)
  • 2021: Sharon Douglas (Arizona) and Donna Martin (Alabama)
  • 2020: Mary Dunagan (Florida)
  • 2019: Jayne Henley Davis (Hawaii)
  • 2018: Anne Smith (Alabama)
  • 2017: Shirley Phillips (Arizona)
  • 2016: Barbara Smith (Virginia)

MOAA ROTC/JROTC Awards Program

• MOAA has PDF fillable certificates for ROTC and JROTC available for leaders to add their chapter name and the name of the award recipient.
  • ROTC fillabale PDF certificate
  • JROTC fillable PDF certificate
• Medals and certificates can be purchased at the MOAA Store.
• Note for high schools and universities requesting that someone from MOAA make a presentation: If there is a local MOAA chapter in your area, you may want to consider contacting them. Many of our 400-plus MOAA affiliates are still supporting ROTC/JROTC programs in their area. These programs are entirely voluntary; no MOAA chapter is under any obligation to present a certificate to ROTC and JROTC units. You can use the Chapter Locator to find your closest available chapter.