The Ben Franklin Fellowship is partnering with the Department of State to launch the U.S. National Interest Diplomacy Awards Program.

The “U.S. National Interest Diplomacy Awards” (USNIDA) program is designed to incentivize and celebrate U.S. diplomacy that promotes America’s national security priorities and core constitutional values on the global stage. 

Open to all State Department Foreign Service and Civil Service employees, USNIDA recognizes distinguished diplomatic engagement in seven categories.  BFF will select and publicly recognize qualified winners. BFF will award a total of $25,000 in USNIDA cash prizes.

Awards

$10,000 “Ben Franklin National Interest Award”
Awarded to the officer whose creative diplomacy best advanced the American national interest in the face of foreign competition or hostile multilateral organizations.

$2,500 “Calvin Coolidge Border Security Award”
Awarded to the officer whose creative diplomacy best advanced the protection of the U.S. homeland from illegal immigration.

$2,500 “Dwight Eisenhower Removal Cooperation Award”
Awarded to the officer whose creative diplomacy best facilitated the return of illegally present foreign nationals from the United States to their home countries.

$2,500 “Alexander Hamilton Fair Trade Award”
Awarded to the officer whose creative diplomacy best exposed or hindered unfair foreign commercial practices that disadvantaged U.S. exporters or American consumers.

$2,500 “Thomas Jefferson Free Speech Award”
Awarded to the officer whose creative diplomacy best exposed or hindered efforts of foreign governments or international actors, particularly online, to censor the free expression of Americans.

$2,500 “Clara Barton Helping Hand Award”
Awarded to the officer whose creative diplomacy best assisted an American citizen in distress abroad.

$2,500 “Martin Luther King Jr. Meritocracy Award”
Awarded to the officer whose creative work best advanced the standard of meritocracy in State Department practices of hiring, assignments, and promotions.

Implementation and Timeline

The Ben Franklin Fellowship will manage and administer the selection process through its USNIDA selection committee. The State Department will help BFF publicize the program by means of a Department Notice, ALDAC messages to posts, and similar communication tools. All nominations must be submitted by email by November 30, 2026.

Rules and Format for Nominations

Nominations for all awards should be submitted via email. Nominations must clearly indicate the name of one of the seven USNIDA categories they are entering. While the same nominee can compete for different awards, separate nominations must be written and submitted for each award category. Successful nominations will describe the nominee’s diplomatic engagement with foreign interlocutors or internal activities inside State Department undertaken to advance the goals of the specific award sought.

Each nomination should not exceed three pages, double-spaced, and must include:

• the name of the award category;

• the nominee’s name and email address;

• the nominator’s name; and

• a justification for the nomination, including specific actions and qualities that fulfill the award criteria.

Photographs may be submitted with the nomination. Nominees may also nominate themselves.

All nominations must be e-mailed to: BFFawards@proton.me