Distinguished Graduate Award Program
Nominate USNA graduates for the 2026 DGA Award by 15 october 2025.
The nomination window for the 2026 DGA award opens on 1 July 2025. Nominations for the 2026 award must be received by 15 October 2025. Nominators must be members of the Alumni Association in good standing. Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominators should use the package formatting guidelines for their submissions.
DGA Program Guidelines
2026 Nomination Package Guidelines
Questions? Contact DGA program manager Wes Huey '87 at wesley.huey@usna.com or 410-295-4023.
Announcing the 2025 DGA Recipients!
Click image above to learn more about these amazing alumni.
UPDATE 9 April 2025: The United States Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation (USNA AA&F) is pleased to announce the 2025 Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA) ceremony and recognition events will be held on the following dates:
• 2025 DGA Medal Ceremony: Thursday, 4 September 2025 at 4:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall
• 2025 DGA Banquet Dinner (invitation only): Thursday, 4 September 2025 at the Fluegel Alumni Center
• 2025 On-field recognition Navy vs. UAB football game: Saturday, 6 September 2025
The Distinguished Graduate Award (DGA) program honors living U.S. Naval Academy graduates who have made a distinctive contribution to their field or community and have demonstrated sustained, active support for the Naval Academy, Naval Academy Alumni Association, Naval Academy Foundation, or affiliate groups. Each year up to four graduates are chosen from a field of candidates nominated by their alumni peers for this, the highest honor the Alumni Association bestows on a living graduate and selected by the DGA Selection Panel, chaired by Admiral John Richardson '82, USN (Ret.). Recipients receive a medal awarded in Alumni Hall each spring.
See the full list of DGA recipients by class year and by ceremony year including 2024.
Recent DGA IN Memoriam:
(Awarded in 2013) Richard L. Armitage ’67
DGA Program Guidelines
DGA Program Guidelines and Selection Criteria (PDF)