Submit Nominations for the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year Award

Military Spouse magazine announces open nominations for the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) award. Now in its fifth year, the award honors military spouses from all branches of service and all ranks. The awards ceremony has grown in scope to include the Legislative Impact Award and Gabby Giffords’ Award for Courage and Bravery.

In keeping with the White House’s Joining Forces initiative, Military Spouse magazine is encouraging both the military community as well as all Americans to consider nominating their friends, relatives, neighbors or colleagues for this prestigious honor. 

“This year, civilians have an unprecedented awareness of the sacrifices of over 1.1 million military spouses. They’ve seen extensive coverage of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the War on Terror. With the White House drawing national attention toward military families through the Joining Forces campaign and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey discussing the importance of recognizing military families, we are expecting a large number of Americans to seize the chance to nominate a deserving military spouse,” says Babette Maxwell, a Navy spouse and founder of the magazine and award. 

The award recognizes military spouses’ important contributions and unwavering commitment to the military community. A nominee must be the spouse of a current member of the U.S. Armed Forces. Criteria used for selecting the recipient include impact on community change, volunteer efforts, personal sacrifice, professional pursuits and specific efforts to support the military community. Nominees can also submit an issue that is impacting the military community and a recommendation for how they would like to influence change in this area. 

Nominations can be submitted at www.milspouse.com/msoy through December 14th.  A winner from each of the five military branches will be chosen through an online vote in January.  The overall 2012 MSOY winner will be selected from the five service winners in subsequent online vote in February. The 2012 MSOY will be honored at the fifth annual awards luncheon on May 10, 2012 in Washington, D.C. In 2011 the MSOY Awards were honored by the attendance of Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Medal of Honor Recipient Major Drew Dix, USA and the spouses of all ten senior officers and senior enlisted in every service branch. 

“I encourage anyone who knows an exemplary military spouse to nominate him or her for this national merit-based award,” says Maxwell. “It is the perfect way to give back and recognize those who have given so much.” 

Meet Robert Duncan, the 2011 Navy Spouse of the Year.

About Military Spouse
Military Spouse magazine and www.milspouse.com are the leading national magazine and online destination for the nation's 1.1 million current and 20 million former military spouses.  Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/militaryspousemagazine and on twitter@milspousemag. 

About Military Spouse of the Year
The Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) is the only national merit-based award that recognizes the nation’s current military spouses. In its fifth year, the award has garnered national media attention for the winners, including appearances on NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, Fox and Friends, CNN and scores of other national, regional and local media outlets.