Awards Eligibility and Nomination Categories

Thank you for your interest in submitting a Sammies nomination! If you know a federal employee who demonstrates innovation, strong leadership and a passion for public service in their work, we want to recognize them through the Service to America Medals. 

General Information

Finalists are announced the first week of May during Public Service Recognition Week.  The winners are announced at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., each fall and honored during a celebrity-filled television and online special. 

Please read about the current medal categories below and their specific eligibility requirements before submitting a nomination.  

In addition to meeting eligibility requirements, successful nominees will also demonstrate:  

• Strong commitment to federal service. 
• A significant accomplishment within their field that meets the needs of the American people. 
• Excellence in customer service to citizens or other beneficiaries. 

We welcome nominations for individuals and teams. While we acknowledge that many important accomplishments involve hundreds of federal employees, our honoree recognition is limited to a maximum of three named individuals who can represent a larger team and their achievements. 

Nomination Guidelines

Nominator Eligibility

Nominators can be anyone—federal employee or not, friend or family member, supervisor or employee. However, we do not accept self-nominations. 

Nominee Eligibility

While nominators are not required to be federal employees, nominees must be career civilian federal employees of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government. Similar employees of the Library of Congress, Government Accountability Office, Congressional Budget Office, Architect of the Capitol, Government Publishing Office, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Smithsonian Institution and Botanical Gardens, plus commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are also eligible. 

For all medal categories, except the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Award, please identify an accomplishment that has occurred within the past three years. We want to share the most recent government success stories that will best resonate with the American public. 

For Career Achievement, nominations should highlight a series of accomplishments or sustained achievements throughout the nominee’s 20 or more years as a public servant. 

Medal and Nominations Categories