2024 MILMARK AWARDS
2024 MILMARK AWARDS
Submissions open March 15 - April 14, 2025
Best-in-class Military Marketing
The MilMark Awards offer a platform for Air Force and Space Force marketers to showcase their most creative, outcome-driven campaigns.
This year’s awards feature new categories and improved judging criteria, providing a chance to gain recognition as a leader in Air Force and Space Force marketing innovation.
2024
MilMark Awards
Submissions open 15 Mar - 14 Apr 2025
About
All DAF Marketing Departments supporting Military Communities are eligible to enter
Key Dates
Campaign Execution Period
January 1, 2024 to March 14, 2025
Submission Period
March 14, 2025 at 1200 CST to April 15, 2025 at 1200 CST
Execution Period
Your marketing campaign must have been fully executed between the dates of Monday, January 1, 2024 and Friday, March 14, 2025.
Submission Period
Submissions are accepted via forcesupport.awardsplatform.com only from Friday, March 14, 2025 at 1200 CST to Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 1200 CST.
How to Enter
- Visit forcesupport.awardsplatform.com from Friday, March 14, 2025 at 1200 CST to Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 1200 CST
- Register for an account or sign in
- We recommend using as non-government email as .mil addresses often block awards platform messages
- Click ‘Start entry’ button
- Under the ‘Contest & category’ field, select ‘2024 Milmark Awards’
- Complete all remaining fields under each tab
- Click ‘Submit entry’ at the bottom of the page once your submission is complete
- You will receive a confirmation email after you submit your entry
What's New?
- Submissions must include a 60 to 90 second video or animated slide deck providing a comprehensive review.
- FSS Marketing Teams must choose ONE of the following goals for each submission. Then they must develop S.M.A.R.T. objectives to accomplish the selected goal and provide data to support positive or negative outcomes:
- Introduce a new product, event, program, or service to a new or existing market.
- Introduce an existing product to a new market.
- Increase the frequency of use of an existing product within an existing market.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Each goal should be clearly defined and include metrics to measure success.
Example of a SMART Objective:
- Specific: Increase the number of participants in the Outdoor Recreation Program.
- Measurable: Aim to increase participants by 20% compared to last year.
- Achievable: Utilize targeted marketing campaigns on social media and base announcements.
- Relevant: The goal aligns with the installation’s mission to promote health and wellness.
- Time-bound: Achieve the increase by December 31, 2024.
Eligibility
- Only DAF Marketing Departments supporting Military Communities may enter the Milmark Awards.
- Submissions must be fully executed between January 1, 2024, and March 14, 2025.
- Submissions must align with and comply with the categories identified in the 2024 MilMark Awards Guide and fully comply with the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of the Air Force Instructions (DAFI).
- Installations may enter one submission per category.
- Installations may enter multiple categories.
Categories
This year’s four categories guide marketers toward strategies that address key FSS challenges, like recruitment and wellness. These updates emphasize innovation, stronger results, and better brand alignment, driving more impactful campaigns that support the FSS mission.
This year’s updated categories are designed to push marketers toward innovative, strategic approaches that address some of FSS’s biggest challenges. By focusing on key areas such as recruitment, retention, and wellness, these categories better align with the evolving needs of the FSS and its mission to serve our military community. The new categories encourage marketers to create more impactful campaigns that not only drive results but also demonstrate strong brand management and market alignment, paving the way for stronger, more effective marketing strategies.
Category 1
Social Media Program with Featured Campaign
FOCUS: Compliance, Innovation, Content, Management, and Results
Category 2
FSS Advertising Program with Examples
FOCUS: Compliance, Innovation, Profitability in Advertising Programs
Category 3
FSS Mission Support Communication Campaign
FOCUS : FSS NAF Employee Recruitment and Retention
Category 4
FSS Mission Support Marketing Campaign
FOCUS A: Outdoor Recreation Equipment Rental Programs
FOCUS B: Health, Fitness, Wellness Programs
FOCUS C: Local, Regional, or Market-Specific Campaigns
FOCUS D: Open category
Category 1:
Social Media Program with Featured Campaign
Category 2:
FSS Advertising Program with Examples
Category 3:
FSS Mission Support Communication Campaign
Category 4: FSS Mission Support Marketing Campaign
Judging
The 2024 MilMark Awards introduce a streamlined two-round judging system to ensure fair and comprehensive evaluations across all categories. Round one focuses on eligibility, where entries are moderated for completeness, compliance, and alignment with key criteria.
Only qualifying entries move to Round two, where judges score submissions on a detailed 0 (poor) to 5 (exceptional) scale, assessing creativity, effectiveness, branding, and measurable results. Communication plans, social metrics, and consistency of visual design are a few examples of the 2024 Milmark Awards judging criteria.
Past Winners
NEW! Category 3: Social Media Program with Featured Campaign
FOCUS: Compliance, Innovation, Content, Management, and Results
Requirements:
- Goal and SMART Objective(s).
- 60 to 90 second Video or Animated Slide Deck featuring Social Media Campaign.
- Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Market Identification.
- Channels Used.
- Management/Implementation/Oversight Tools and Processes.
- Overall Content Strategy.
- Brand Management Strategy.
- Risk Mitigation Strategy.
- Comprehensive Analytics/Data collected between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
Milmark Workshop
Awards will be presented at the 2025 Milmark Workshop during the 2025 ANA In-House Agency Conference in Nashsville, TN from Wednesday, June 11 to Friday, June 13, 2025.
Questions
For questions and inquiries about Milmark Awards, submit a case via MyFSS
- Visit MyFSS on a CAC enabled computer
- Click the MySERVICES box
- Choose Marketing from the menu on the left
- Fill out the form
- Select ‘Marketing Questions/Inquiries’ in Category drop-down
- Use the subject line ‘2025 Milmark Awards’
