APRIL 23, 2026 – The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the Foundation’s 2026 Annual Awards, recognizing exceptional storytellers, artists, and scholars whose work deepens the nation’s understanding of the Marine Corps. Honorees will be celebrated at the Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner on April 25 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
These prestigious awards highlight outstanding achievements across journalism, photography, literature, film, and historical research—honoring those who bring Marine Corps history, service, and sacrifice to life for audiences around the world.
Former Secretary of Defense General James N. Mattis, USMC (Ret), will serve as keynote speaker for the evening, joined by military guest of honor General Eric M. Smith, the 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
“In recognizing these distinguished individuals, we not only celebrate their extraordinary contributions to the legacy of the Marine Corps but also underscore the profound impact of storytelling in preserving our history and traditions,” said MajGen James W. Lukeman, USMC (Ret), the Foundation’s President and CEO. “We are honored to showcase their contributions at our Annual Awards ceremony and hope their works help future generations understand the valor, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment that define the Marine Corps.”
Accomplished Marine and civilian experts judge the Annual Awards. Past winners include celebrated novelists, best-selling authors, national columnists, network producers, and active-duty Marines with remarkable talent. The Foundation celebrates these individuals for their dedication to the accurate representation of the Marine Corps story, often placing themselves in perilous situations to capture the essence of Marines’ work in remote regions around the globe.
Recipients of the Annual Awards will be honored with a gold medallion and a commemorative brick laid on the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park pathway. All awards sponsored by the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation will receive a cash prize.
2026 Annual Awards Recipients:
The Colonel Joseph Alexander Award (biographical or autobiographical book)
- Stephen R. Platt for “The Raider”
The Master Sergeant Tom Bartlett Award (feature article by an enlisted Marine)
- 1stSgt Chase McGrorty-Hunter, USMC for “A Small Piece of Cloth: The History of the Marine Corps’ Shoulder Sleeve Insignia”
The Corporal Jan Bender Award (digital storytelling)
- Drew F. Lawrence for “On the Ice with Marines Preparing for War in the Arctic”
The Lieutenant William Broyles Award (playwright)
- Joshua Crone for “A Marine Walks Up to the Pearly Gates”
The Sergeant Major Dan Daly Award (photography album)
- Sgt Danny Gonzalez, USMC for “31st MEU Blackhearts”
The Robert A. Gannon Award (poetry)
- Juan Manuel Pérez for “Thirty Years Ago: Life and the First Gulf War”
The General Roy S. Geiger Award (aviation article)
- Col Rod Andrew Jr., Ph.D USMCR (Ret), “‘Flying Leathernecks’: The Public Debate over Close Air Support and the Future of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1945–1952”
The Sergeant William Genaust Award (documentary short)
- David C. Kniess Jr. for “The Siege at Khe Sanh”
The General Wallace M. Greene, Jr. Award (non-fiction book)
- Col Rod Andrew Jr., Ph.D, USMCR (Ret) for “The Marines’ Fight for Survival: War, Politics, and Institutional Crisis, 1945-1952”
- Col Michael F. Morris, Ph.D., USMC (Ret) for “Corps Competency?: III Marine Amphibious Force Headquarters in Vietnam”
The Major Norman Hatch Award (feature documentary)
- The Team at Lucky8 TV: Chelsea Yarnell (Director), Kim Woodard (Executive Producer), Greg Henry (Executive Producer), Darryl Frank (Executive Producer), Justin Falvey (Executive Producer), Sebastian Junger (Executive Producer), Isaac Holub (Executive Producer), George Kralovansky (Executive Producer), Katie Goldstein (Co-Executive Producer), Arielle Kilker (Co-Executive Producer) and Katherine LeBlond (Producer) for “MARINES”
The Colonel Robert D. Heinl, Jr. Award (Marine Corps history article)
- Major Robert Billard Jr., USMC for “The Atomic Crucible: Forging Tactics in the Shadow of the Bomb”
The Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal Award (still photograph)
- 1stSgt Melissa Marnell, USMC for “Bangalore”
The Colonel John H. Magruder III Award (exhibit)
- James P. Gregory Jr. for “Tigers in the Pacific”
The Major Megan McClung Award (reporting by an individual covering Marines abroad)
- Drew F. Lawrence for “Supply or Die: Sustaining Marines in the High North so They Can Fight and Win a Future War”
The Eugene Sledge Award (memoir)
- Colonel Seth W.B. Folsom, USMC (Ret) for “Nothing Here Worth Dying For: Task Force Lion in Iraq”
- Brennan Morton for “Valhalla Boys: Marine Recon Sniper in Iraq”
The General Oliver P. Smith Award (local news reporting)
- Erika I. Ritchie for “A bond shared over Marine service unites veterans in a mission to remember”
The Colonel John W. Thomason, Jr. Award (artwork)
- Major S. “Joseph” Winslow, USMC (Ret) for “Through the Front Door (Fallujah, Iraq)”
The James Webb Award (fiction)
- John F. Andrews for “Our Desperate Hour – Novels of the Great War”
The Julia Hamblet Award (advancing recognition of women Marines’ history – sponsored and judged by the Women Marines Association)
- CWO5 Lisa Potts, USMC (Ret) for a lifetime of definitive contributions to preserving and presenting the history of Women Marines
About the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation:
Dedicated to the preservation and promulgation of Marine Corps history, the Foundation was established in 1979 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The Foundation supports the historical programs of the Marine Corps. It provides grants and scholarships for research and the preservation, restoration, and commissioning of Marine Corps art, artifacts, and landmarks. Having secured funding for the construction of the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center, the Foundation’s current mission is to seek support that will strengthen programming at the Museum and beyond its walls. For more information, visit www.MarineHeritage.org.