2026 Valor Awards: OFFICER Media Group Launches 2nd Annual Awards

For the second year, the OFFICER Media Group is proud recognize and honor those officers from across our nation who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, demonstrating exceptional courage in the performance of their duties. The OFFICER Valor Awards nominees aren’t selected by our staff, but must come from you, our readership.

Last year, 10 officers from six law enforcement agencies were recognized as part of the inaugural Valor Awards. Louisiana Probation & Parole Special Response Team members Josh Smith, Colin Harrison, Brandon Varnado, David Balfantz, Chris Howell and Chris Saginario were recognized for their response to a terrorist event that left 14 people dead on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2025. Officer Giovannina Prisco with the Clark Police Department in New Jersey was recognized for pulling a driver from a vehicle engulfed in flames on May 12, 2025. School Resource Officer William Bonanno with the Tucson Police Department in Arizona was recognized for apprehending an armed individual who had entered a school with a gun and knife on Jan. 16, 2025. Detective Brian Garner of the Overland Park Police Department in Kansas was recognized for his efforts to stop an armed suspect during a struggle involving a fellow officer on March 10, 2024. Officer Timothy Wright of the Ogunquit Police Department in Maine was recognized for saving a choking man at a restaurant on Aug. 9, 2024.

"The OFFICER Media Group is proud to again host the OFFICER VALOR Awards in 2026, a program dedicated to honoring officers who demonstrate exceptional courage and go above and beyond the call of duty," states Market Leader Bill MacRae. "Nominees will be selected by you, our readership, as we celebrate the true heroes who inspire us all."

There is no cost to submit a nomination, but all nominations must be submitted no later than May 15, 2026. Winners will be notified by email on July 15, 2026, and announced in the September/October issue of OFFICER Magazine and online in October.

The officer being nominated must have performed whatever actions inspired the nomination some time between July 31, 2025 and April 30, 2026. If you are nominating an officer, be sure to include the necessary information regarding the specifics of the officer’s performance that made you feel that the performance was beyond the “normal call of duty.” What did they do that was so above and beyond that you are moved to nominate them?

Nominate an officer at officer.com/valorawards