National Missing Children’s Day Awards

Each year the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), recognizes the extraordinary efforts of individuals, organizations, and agencies that have made a significant contribution to protecting children during the prior calendar year.

OJJDP will accept nominations in the following categories:

• Missing Children’s Law Enforcement Award: intended to recognize the extraordinary efforts of a law enforcement officer who has made a significant investigative or program contribution to the safety of children.
• OJJDP Administrator’s Citizen Award: intended to recognize the extraordinary vigilance and valiant actions of a concerned citizen who displayed unselfish and courageous acts which directly helped to safely recover a missing/abducted child.
• Missing Children’s Child Protection Award: intended to recognize the extraordinary efforts of an individual law enforcement officer (including police officer, sheriffs, and prosecutors), child protective service agency personnel, or another individual who works exclusively in the field of child protection who has made a significant investigative or program contribution to protecting children from abuse or victimization.
• 2016 Attorney General’s Special Commendation Award: intended to recognize the extraordinary efforts of an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, an ICAC affiliate agency, or an individual assigned to an ICAC task force or affiliate agency that made a significant investigative or program contribution to the ICAC task force program. If the award nomination involves multiple individuals from one agency, only one person will accept the award.

Processing of the awards is as follows:

• All nominations must be submitted by January 25, 2016; late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Confirmation of receipt will be sent by e-mail to nominator.
• DOJ will identify a panel of peers to review the nominations.
• This review panel will rank the nominees and provide their scores to DOJ for review.
• DOJ reserves the right to not make an award for any reason.
• Award winners are subject to formal background check and final approval by DOJ.
• The award winners will be notified by DOJ, and the names will be announced by DOJ in April 2016.
• DOJ will send a formal announcement of the winners to all persons who made a nomination. It is the responsibility of the nominators to forward this information to their respective nominee.
• The awards will be presented in Washington, DC, at the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony, which will be held in May 2016.

All questions regarding each award should be directed to Jeff Gersh, Deputy Associate Administrator, Youth Development, Prevention, and Safety Division, at 202-514-5535 or [email protected].