The Bob Hope Spirit of Hope and Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Awards webpage incorporates procedures for the dual submission of both the Department of Defense Spirit of Hope Award and the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award nominations.  Information on how to submit a nominee, nomination requirements, award deadline, etc., for these two distinguish awards is announced annually via this webpage.

The Spirit of Hope Award is presented to individuals or organizations that embody the core values of Mr. Bob Hope, who gave generously to the military men and women for over five decades.  The criteria for the Spirit of Hope Award is detailed in DODINST 1005.14.

The Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award recognizes private sector individuals or organizations that demonstrate exceptional patriotism and humanitarian service for members of the U. S. Armed Forces or their families as inspired by Zachary and Elizabeth Fishers, founders of the Fisher Houses.  (One of their many contributions to assist military members and veterans).  The criteria for the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Award is detailed in SECNAVINST 5061.16A.

ETMS2 Taskers DON-250103-N72W and DON 250103-43W4, as well as this webpage detail the requirements for Calendar Year 2024 submission of nominations for both the Spirit of Hope (SOH) and Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher (ZEF) Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Awards.
The requirements for these two awards nomination packages have changed, with each award having different format and submission criteria.  To assist in nominating recipients, the award guidance, criteria requirements, format instructions, and required approval nomination templates for the two distinguished awards are provided below.  A sample nomination letter is available upon request or can be found in the ETMS2 tasker for that award.
 

     1.  The period of service for award considerations is 1 January-31 December 2024. Multi-year periods of service nominations will be accepted as well.  Nomination packages shall contain, the include the nomination details using the applicable format (see templates below) and a nomination letter/email from the sponsoring command.

     2.  Submission of nomination packages for the SOH award will be completed using this approved template (SOH Award Approval template). 
          - The deadline for the submission of nominations for the SOH award is close of business, Monday, 7 April 2025.
          - Assigned ETMS2 Tasker DON-250103-N72W provides further details for nomination submissions.

     3.  Submission of nomination packages for the ZEF Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award will be completed using this approved template (ZEF Award Nomination template).
          - The deadline for the submission of nomination for the ZEF award is close of business, Monday, 19 May 2025.
          - Assigned ETMS2 Tasker DON-250103-43W4 provides further details for nomination submissions.

     4.  Submit completed packages (including final endorsement) to Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education) (CNO (N1) via command channels.

     5.  If you have any questions, contact the OPNAV N171 Award Coordination by calling (703) 604-7137.  The coordinator can answer questions, provide copies of actual samples of approved nomination packages (nomination letter, the summary of contributions, and the nominee's biography, etc.), or provide you with an email address to send an encrypted copy of the nomination.
     6.  Assigned award ETMS2 Taskers provide sample nominations for these distinguished awards in the document section of the tasker.