The 2020 Col. Marvin J. Harris Communications Award application is now closed. Please return to this page in December to apply for next year's awards, and use the information on this page to learn about the program and prepare for the application.
The Communications Award informational document is now available so leaders can review the evaluation criteria. Please Note: two separate documents are available: one for councils and one for chapters.
Councils and chapters will have the opportunity to self-nominate a Communications Award application via a web-based portal at this web page. The portal will have a range of questions covering objective scoring, subjective scoring, and an extra credit section and will include up to two categories:
- Print/E-Newsletter
- Website
After the submitter has answered all of the questions, he/she will be able to upload one 2019 newsletter and/or applicable addendum document(s) under the extra credit section. Only one application per council/chapter will be permitted.
Please take time to review the applicable criteria for your category of submission:
Application Information
The application for consideration of 2020 calendar year achievements is open. Submission deadline is February 1, 2021. Apply today.
Each year, councils and chapters can submit materials in either or both categories as part of MOAA's Col. Marvin J. Harris Communications Award program:
- Website
- Print or E-Newsletter
The very, very best councils or chapters receive a five-star award. Above-average councils or chapters receive a four-star award. Click the below links for criteria and instructions in PDF format.
2019 Winners
Congratulations to the 104 councils and chapters that received five-star awards for their exemplary communication efforts and eight councils and chapters that received four-star awards for their outstanding efforts. Download the full list in PDF format here.
About the Award
MOAA renamed the award in 2011 after Colonel Marvin J. Harris, USAF (Ret), Director of Public Relations from 1996 until 2011. Colonel Harris delivered effective communications to both military and civilian audiences.
Each year, national MOAA holds a communications award contest to identify those councils and chapters that do an outstanding job communicating with their members and community.
Communications Award Logos
Download the logos here.
2018 Winners
Congratulations to our 2018 Col. Marvin J. Harris Communication Award Winners! View the complete list of winners (PDF) here.