How to Fill Out and Submit Air Force Form 1206: Nomination for Award

To fill out AF Form 1206, download the current fillable PDF from Air Force e-Publishing, enter the nominee’s administrative data exactly as it appears in official records, write concise performance statements covering only accomplishments within the award period, keep the package to one page within the authorized line limit, and route it through the chain of command for endorsement before the cycle deadline.¹ The form is the Department of the Air Force’s standard nomination document for quarterly and annual award programs, and the current version is dated 13 Mar 2024.

Get the Current Version of the Form

The fillable PDF lives on the Air Force e-Publishing site. Search for “1206” or go through the forms library. The file is currently titled DAF Form 1206, reflecting the Department of the Air Force naming convention.¹

Before you start typing, check whether your unit has a locally formatted template on a shared drive or through the unit awards monitor. Some Major Commands and wings add font, margin, or header requirements through supplements to AFI 36-2805, the governing instruction for recognition programs.² If a local template exists, use it.

Confirm the Award Category

Category determines who the nominee is compared against at the board, and putting someone in the wrong bracket is one of the fastest ways to get a package thrown out before anyone reads it. Typical categories are:

Airman: AB (E-1) through SrA (E-4)
NCO: SSgt (E-5) through TSgt (E-6)
SNCO: MSgt (E-7) through SMSgt (E-8)
CGO (Company Grade Officer): 2Lt (O-1) through Capt (O-3)
FGO (Field Grade Officer): Maj (O-4) through Lt Col (O-5)
Civilian: tiered by General Schedule, Wage Grade, and equivalent pay grades
First Sergeant: must have held the position for at least six months during the award period

Some wings also run a Key Spouse category for annual awards.³ Check your unit’s award announcement against the nominee’s current rank and grade.

Complete the Header

Every field in the top section has to match the nominee’s official personnel records. The key fields:

Award To: the specific name of the award, such as “Quarterly Award” or “Annual Award.”
Category: the competitive bracket from above.
Award Period: the exact dates covered. Quarterly periods run January–March, April–June, July–September, and October–December. Annual periods cover the full calendar year.
Rank/Name/Unit: the nominee’s current rank, full name as it appears in official records, and assigned unit or office symbol.
DAFSC/Duty Title: the nominee’s Air Force Specialty Code and duty title.

Performance statements can only address events that occurred during the award period.² The board cannot credit anything that falls outside those dates, so get them right the first time.

Write the Performance Statements

Current AFPC-level guidance has moved away from the traditional bullet format. Bullets are not authorized. Each performance statement is now a standalone sentence containing an action and at least one of the following: impact or results.¹ Many local supplements still reference the older action-impact-result bullet structure with semicolons and double dashes, so check your unit’s current guidance before writing. If your wing supplement hasn’t caught up to the AFPC standard, follow the local version, because that is what your board will expect.

What a Strong Statement Looks Like

Start with an action verb that describes what the nominee actually did, not what their job description says. Then connect that action to a measurable outcome. Specific numbers carry far more weight than vague praise. “Overhauled maintenance scheduling for 14 aircraft, reducing downtime by 22% and saving $340K in contract labor” tells a board member something concrete. “Performed maintenance duties in an outstanding manner” tells them nothing.

Every statement should make sense to someone outside the nominee’s career field. Board members often come from different specialties, and a statement loaded with unexplained jargon loses half the panel. If you use abbreviations, stick to your unit’s approved list. Some boards require a separate acronym sheet for anything non-standard.

Group Statements Under the Right Headings

The “Specific Accomplishments” section is organized under category headings that vary by cycle and by whether your unit follows the DAF-level or a local structure. A common breakdown for quarterly awards uses “Executing Mission and Leading People,” “Managing Resources and Improving the Unit,” and “Whole Airman Concept.” Annual awards often use “Leadership and Job Performance in Primary Duty” and either “Whole Airman Concept” (military) or “Whole Person Concept” (civilian).³ Your unit’s award announcement specifies which headings to use.

If a board member thinks a statement sits under the wrong heading, AFPC guidance instructs them not to penalize the nominee and to give credit for the accomplishment anyway.² A misplaced statement still makes the package look sloppy, though, and in a tight competition presentation matters.

Respect the Line Limit

The single most important formatting rule: no nomination can exceed one full page on the AF Form 1206, including headings. The specific number of lines allowed is set by the award authority each cycle, not by a fixed Air Force-wide standard. One command might authorize 9 lines for a quarterly award and 18 for an annual; another might allow different numbers. The award announcement for each cycle states the maximum.¹

Exceeding the line limit by even one line is grounds for immediate disqualification. At the 20th Air Force, for example, packages with more than the authorized number of lines are “rendered invalid and removed from consideration.”² Headings count toward the total in most units, so plan your layout with that included.

Route the Package for Endorsement

Once the form is complete, it goes through the nominee’s chain of command. The typical path runs from the writer to the supervisor, then the First Sergeant, and finally the unit Commander. Each reviewer checks that the content is accurate, the formatting meets current wing standards, and the nominee’s accomplishments fall within the award period. Most units handle the routing through a digital workflow or email.

The Commander’s endorsement is the final gate. After that, the awards and decorations monitor submits the package to the next level of command, usually by secure email or through a centralized organizational mailbox. Packages that are incomplete, incorrectly formatted, or submitted after the deadline will not be boarded.³

Deadlines vary by unit and award cycle. At the wing level, nomination packages are often due on the 25th of the month preceding the board meeting.³ Annual award packages may follow a different timeline, with results announced at a formal banquet. Check your unit’s award announcement for the exact dates.

Mistakes That Get Packages Returned

Most rejected nominations fail on avoidable errors rather than weak content. The biggest offenders:

Exceeding the line limit. Even one extra line can disqualify the package at many units.
Wrong award period. Including accomplishments that happened outside the stated dates.
Wrong category. Nominating someone under the incorrect rank bracket.
Administrative mismatches. The nominee’s name, rank, unit, or duty title doesn’t match official records.
Missing or late submission. Packages received after the deadline are excluded from the board entirely.
Statements under the wrong heading. Placing leadership accomplishments under self-improvement, or vice versa.

Before submitting, have someone outside the nominee’s section read the package. If they can’t understand what the nominee accomplished and why it matters, the board probably won’t either.

Accuracy and Privacy Obligations

Every fact on the form needs to be verifiable. Under Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, knowingly signing a false official document or making a false official statement carries the potential for court-martial.⁴ Dollar amounts saved, people trained, and mission metrics cited in performance statements should all be traceable to recorded data. Don’t inflate numbers to make the package more competitive.

Because the form contains personally identifiable information, handling falls under the Privacy Act of 1974 and is governed within the Air Force by AFI 33-332.⁵ Transmit completed forms only through approved channels: secure email or authorized digital systems. Don’t email unencrypted 1206s through personal accounts or post them on shared drives without access controls.

1
Air Force’s Personnel Center. Awards
2
Department of the Air Force. 20 AFI 36-2805 – Awards and Recognition Program
3
United States Air Force. 439th Airlift Wing Instruction 36-2801 – Wing Awards Program
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 U.S.C. 907 – Art. 107. False Official Statements; False Swearing
5
Air Force Privacy Act. Policy and Guidelines