Nominations for the 2025 Sheep Dog of the Year Awards are now OPEN.

Nominations accepted December 16, 2025- January 16, 2026!

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2025 Sheep Dog of the Year Nomination Form

Instructions

The Sheep Dog of the Year Award honors Military Members, Veterans, and First Responders who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to others. This prestigious national award recognizes exceptional leadership, courage, and continued service within the military and first responder community.

Awards are presented to Sheep Dogs who demonstrated exemplary and/or heroic service during the 2025 calendar year. While a single heroic act may warrant consideration, special emphasis is placed on sustained excellence, leadership, and career-long impact that elevate both the nominee’s profession and community.

Nominations are now being accepted for the following 2025 Sheep Dog of the Year categories:

• Military
• Law Enforcement
• Fire & Rescue
• EMS / Paramedic

How to Submit a Nomination: If you know a Sheep Dog whose service deserves national recognition, we invite you to submit a nomination. Detailed nomination instructions and program information are provided below the nomination form.

Nomination Deadline: All complete nominations must be submitted no later than January 16, 2026.

Award recipients will be honored at the 2026 Heroes Gala.

For questions regarding the nomination process or the Sheep Dog of the Year program, please contact Makenna Hudson.

Name of Nominee *

Rank of Nominee *

Nominee Unit/Department/Agency *

Nominee Mailing Address *

Apt, suite, etc.

CountryUnited States (US)United Kingdom (UK)CanadaAustralia---AfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAmerican SamoaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelauBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Saint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongo (Brazzaville)Congo (Kinshasa)Cook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraÇaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqRepublic of IrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacao S.A.R., ChinaMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinian TerritoryPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Martin (Dutch part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSan MarinoSão Tomé and PríncipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia/Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVaticanVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaWestern SamoaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

City

StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces (AA)Armed Forces (AE)Armed Forces (AP)American SamoaGuamNorthern Mariana IslandsPuerto RicoUS Minor Outlying IslandsUS Virgin Islands

Zip code

Nominee Daytime Phone Number *

Nominee Evening Phone Number

Nominee Email Address *

Nominee Total Years of Service *

Why is this person being nominated? *

Briefly explain what the Nominee has done to deserve recognition as a Sheep Dog of the Year.

Nominee Special Units, Divisions or Squads

Nominee Special Organizations

Special organizations or groups the nominee belongs to?

Nominee Awards

List all awards or commendations the nominee has received. Please include dates and authorizing agency. (Please attach supporting documents if available)

File Upload

File Upload

File Upload

File Upload

Name of Nominee's Immediate Supervisor *

Rank of Nominee's Immediate Supervisor *

Supervisor's Phone Number *

Supervisor's Email Address *

Name of Person Submitting Nomination *

Rank of Person Submitting Nomination *

Relationship to Nominee *

Spouse

Family Member

Friend

Co-Worker

Supervisor/Manager/Superior

Other

Are You A Sheep Dog? *

True

False

Email Address of Person Submitting Nomination *

Daytime Phone Number of Person Submitting Nomination *

Evening Phone Number of Person Submitting Nomination

Click Here to Submit Your Nomination

Sheep Dog Nomination Requirements

Nomination and Approval Process

Nomination Criteria
A “Sheep Dog” is a man or woman who has or is currently serving in our nation’s military and/or first responder professions. For the purpose of this award, “Sheep Dog” means a living individual currently serving in the military, law enforcement, fire and rescue, or emergency medical services (EMS)/paramedic profession, and who is directly employed on a full-time, active, reserve or national guard basis by a local, country, state, federal government and/or agency, with or without compensation, who is duly sworn and has current job requirements, or completed their obligated service in the year they are nominated.

• In addition, ALL ranks will be considered, but only if their job responsibilities require them to experience similar hazards and perform similar duties as those normally experienced and performed by peers.
• “Support Personnel” employees shall be considered if they are recognized as having served in a capacity that directly supports the efforts of military or first responder personnel. For example, but not limited to, correctional officers, jailers, probation officers, 911 Call Center agents, etc. Make the case for your nominee, and they will have their nomination package reviewed for consideration. Make a strong case for all nominees.
• Less than full-time military and first responders (i.e., reserve, guard, volunteer, etc.) will also be considered. In such cases, eligibility will be determined after a review of several issues, including, but not limited to, job description and training.

Nominees may include individuals or two or more nominees, provided that the persons being nominated worked in partnership or as a team.

How Do I Nominate a Sheep Dog? (see the form at the end of this page)

1. Please submit a FULL NOMINATION by January 16, 2026, to MHudson@sheepdogia.org with the following information: 

• Name; 
• Rank; 
• Branch/Department of Service; 
• Total Years Served; 
• Photo; and 
• A summary of the distinguished service for which the nominee should be recognized, including, but not limited to: 
  • Military, law enforcement, fire and rescue, EMS service; 
  • Community service; 
  • Letters from superiors; 
  • Extreme actions of valor; and 
  • Commendations and other awards received. 

2. If your nominee is selected by the SDIA Sheep Dog of the Year committee, they will be notified no later than March 15, 2026, and asked to attend the 2026 Heroes Gala on April 25, 2026, to receive their award, as well as consent to social media recognition. 

Review and Selection Process

All nominations are reviewed by SDIA Sheep Dog of the Year committee members who ultimately pick the awardee. The review process may include discussion with the nominee, as well as the nominee’s unit, department, or agency, including, but not limited to, the nominee’s commanding officer, top administrative officer, senior supervisor, co-workers, union or association, as well as private citizens served by the nominee. Before any decision becomes final or publicly announced, the selected recipient must provide written authorization for the award to be given and the notification process to proceed.

Once approved, a letter announcing the decision will be sent to the nominee, to the person who submitted the nomination, and to the top administrative officer or supervisor of the unit, department, or agency involved.

Each Sheep Dog of the Year award winner is featured on www.SheepDogIA.org, annual newsletters, and on social media, including Facebook and Instagram.

Award Presentation

The Sheep Dog of the Year award presentation takes place each year at SDIA’s annual Heroes Gala in Rogers, AR; 2025 awards will be presented by SDIA’s founder and CEO, Lance Nutt, SgtMaj, USMCR (Ret.), on Saturday, April 25, 2026. 

The online and printed Nomination Form must be completed in its entirety and submitted by the January 16, 2025, deadline to be considered. 

Written nomination forms should be sent to Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, ATTN: Sheep Dog of the Year Committee, 1200 West Walnut Street, Suite 2310, Rogers AR 72756. 

Questions? Email MHudson@sheepdogia.org.