Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) announced the 2022 Navy History and Heritage Awards (NHHA) Program season, Jan. 4.

The NHHA program is an annual awards program that recognizes the work of organizations, museums, and individuals who use NHHC publications, documents, and artifacts in exhibits, published research, preservation, or lectures to publicly share the story of the U.S. Navy.

“These awards are for those museums that serve as force multipliers in informing the public of our Navy’s history and the importance of sea power to the security of the nation,” said NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral.

The objective of the NHHA program is to encourage and publicize scholarship about Navy history. This will mark the second year museums have been recognized through the new program.

The program honors well-researched and accurate history work in three categories:

  • The Navy History and Heritage Excellence Pennant (History “E”) for large, medium, small, or other-sized organizations recognizes overall excellence in telling compelling and accurate stories of service at sea,
  • The Maintenance Excellence Pennant (Maintenance “E”) for large, medium, small, or other-sized organizations recognizes excellence in preservation of macro artifacts such as ships and aircraft, and
  • The Curatorial Excellence Pennant (Curatorial “C”) award will have one winner and recognizes those who go the extra mile to interpret and curate historical navy artifacts to accurately relay the history of Sailors and ships at sea during peace and war.

Amplifying information such as eligibility requirements and submission forms and guidelines can be found online on the NHHC website at https://www.history.navy.mil/get-involved/nhhc-awards-program.html.

Submissions can be made starting March 1, 2022. The deadline for submission for awards covering calendar year 2021 is June 1, 2022.

Last year’s inaugural NHHA Museum Excellence Award winners were:

Museum Overall Excellence

  • Homeport Alliance for Battleship New Jersey (Large Category) 
  • Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association/USS BOWFIN Submarine Museum and Park (Small Category)

Curatorial Excellence Award

  • Battleship Missouri Memorial (Large Category) 

Maintenance Excellence Award 

  • USS Alabama Battleship Commission (Large Category) 
  • USS Midway Museum (Large Category) 
  • Destroyer Escort Historical Museum USS SLATER DE766 (Small Category) 
  • The Mariner’s Museum and Park (Other Category)

Naval History and Heritage Command, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy's unique and enduring contributions through our nation's history, and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC is composed of many activities including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, ten museums, USS Constitution repair facility and the historic ship Nautilus.