R 021341Z OCT 24
MARADMIN 454/24
MSGID/MARADMIN/CMC DCI WASHINGTON DC//
SUBJ/CALL FOR USMC NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2025 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXCELLENCE AWARDS PROGRAM//
REF/A/LTR/DONCIO/29AUG2024//
REF/B/DOC/DOD/12JUL2019//
NARR/REF A IS THE MEMORANDUM FOR DON IT EXCELLENCE AWARDS PROGRAM 
2025-CALL FOR NOMINATIONS. REF B IS THE DOD CIO DIGITAL 
MODERNIZATION STRATEGY//
POC 1/D. M. ROMO/MGYSGT/DC I, IC4/EMAIL: DENNIS.ROMO@USMC.MIL/
TEL: 571-256-8893//
POC 2/E. M. MARTINEZ/MSGT/DC I, IC4/EMAIL: ERICK.MARTINEZ@USMC.MIL/
TEL: 703-693-3464//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. The Department of Navy (DON) Information 
Technology (IT) Excellence Awards program recognizes excellence in
Information Management (IM) and IT. For two and a half decades, the 
DON Chief Information Officer (CIO) has presented awards that 
recognize both individual and team contributions. Beginning in 
2000 as the “eGov Awards,” the awards was renamed in 2005 “DON IM/IT
Excellence Awards.” In 2021, the name was shortened to “DON IT 
Excellence Awards” and in 2024, the categories were refined to align
with the DON Information Superiority Vision (ISV) 2.0. Awards will 
be presented in the following categories for work performed during 
fiscal year 2024: 
1.a. Optimize: Prioritized, agile, resilient, and relevant Naval 
Information Environment. 
1.b. Secure: Defendable and survivable by design. 
1.c. Decide: Ready, maneuverable data driving decision advantage. 
1.d. Innovate: Actively scout game changing technologies, practices,
and processes that can expedite our competitive advantage. 
1.e. Workforce: Adapt our workforce to an evolving cyber domain. 
1.f. DON IT Person of the Year 
1.g. DON IT Rising Star of the Year
2. Award criteria.  Nomination content requirements are contained in
reference (a).
3. Eligibility.  Service members (Officers and Enlisted) in the 
grade O-6 and below or DoD civilians GS-15 or equivalent and below
are eligible for nomination.  Contractors may be recognized as part
of a team if led by military or DoD civilian.
4. Nominations.
4.a. Nominations. Qualified individuals and/or teams will be 
submitted via the first O-6 in the chain of command to the Service 
CIO, the Deputy Commandant for Information (DC I). Additionally, the
Comptroller or budget office must endorse any quantified cost 
savings or avoidance cited in the nomination.
4.b. Service CIO Nominations. The DC I will review, approve, and 
submit the most qualified candidates for each award category to the
DON CIO.
4.c. DON CIO Selection. Awardees will be selected from the 
Department of the Navy received nominations which include the United
States Marine Corps. The DON CIO will review nominations and score 
the packages in accordance with the criteria set forth in reference
(a). The official DON CIO Winners Announcement listing all 2025 
Awardees will be released via separate correspondence. 
5. Awards Presentation. The DON IT Excellence Awards ceremony will 
be held at a date to be determined. More details to follow.
6. Administration and Logistics.
6.a. USMC nominations must contain all requested information and be 
uploaded to https:(slash)(slash)usmc.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/DCI/
Awards/SitePages/Awards.aspx by COB 5 November 2024. No fax or hard
copy submissions will be accepted. Due to the timeline, no 
extensions will be approved.
6.b. All nominations must be coordinated through the nominee’s 
chain-of-command for quality review and eligibility.
6.c. The references, nomination template, and further guidance can 
be found at the following website:  https:(slash)(slash)usmc.
sharepoint-mil.us/sites/DCI/Awards/SitePages/Awards.aspx.
7. Command and Signal.
7.a. This MARADMIN is applicable to the Marine Corps Total Force.
7.b. Ensure widest dissemination of this MARADMIN.
7.c. Questions regarding the DON IT Excellence awards should be 
directed to the POC’s listed in this MARADMIN.
8. Release authorized by LtGen M. G. Carter, Headquarters Marine 
Corps, Deputy Commandant for Information.//