FY2025 MARINE CORPS LANGUAGE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AND COMMAND LANGUAGE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS
MARADMIN 215/26 · May 8, 2026 · Source
Do You Know the Marine Corps' Best Linguist Right Now?
There's an annual award for it. Nominations are open. And reserve Marines are fully eligible.
Here's what you need to know before the deadline passes you by.
Reference: MARADMIN 215/26, signed 7 May 2026. Solicits nominations for two FY2025 awards: Language Professional of the Year (LPoY) and Command Language Program of the Year (CLPoY). Administered through HQMC Intelligence Division in coordination with the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) at Monterey.
The old problem
Language-capable Marines do serious work with little formal recognition.
Unless your command is actively running a strong language program, your linguists might go the entire year without anyone formally acknowledging what they contributed to the mission.
These awards exist to fix that.
The new rule (in one line)
HQMC is now accepting FY2025 nominations for the Marine Corps' top individual linguist and top command language program, with reserve Marines explicitly eligible for both.
The two awards, broken down
Award 1: Language Professional of the Year (LPoY)
This is for individual Marines. Any MOS. Active or reserve.
Who qualifies:
✦ E-6 or below, active or reserve component
✦ ILR level 2 or higher on at least two modalities (listening, reading, or speaking), tested via DLPT or OPI
✦ Meets current Marine Corps physical fitness and waist-to-height ratio standards
✦ Actions must have occurred between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025
What you need to submit:
- A unit commander nomination memo, endorsed up the chain, detailing the Marine's accomplishments and contributions to both the mission and the Command Language Program
- Official documentation of FY25 DLPT scores (Foreign Language Proficiency 118 remarks, BTR, or equivalent). Scores not valid during FY25 will not count.
- An essay by the nominee. Five double-spaced pages max. 12-point Arial. No footnotes required. The topic: "What strategies can linguists use to balance operational requirements and life demands while maintaining or improving language proficiency?"
Deadline: 5 June 2026. Submit in PDF to ForeignLanguageProgram@usmc.mil.
Templates and example packages are at https://go.intelink.gov/FLP or by emailing that same address.
(Yes, you need NIPRNet or Intelink access for that link. Email the mailbox if you can't get in.)
Award 2: Command Language Program of the Year (CLPoY)
This one is for commands, not individuals.
Any command can nominate its own program for outstanding CLP performance during FY25.
The package must cover these eleven areas:
- Commander's description of the unit's program
- Command Language Program Council
- Regulatory guidance
- Linguist database and record keeping
- Training resources
- Instructional methodology and DLPT results
- Training opportunities
- Program evaluation
- Linguist retention and incentives
- How the program is marketed within the command
- The Command Language Program Manager
Packages are evaluated against DLIFLC Pamphlet 351-1, the DoD standard for command language program evaluation.
Page limit: 12 pages, unclassified.
Deadline: 15 May 2026. Submit in PDF to ForeignLanguageProgram@usmc.mil.
(Note: that CLPoY deadline may already be tight or passed depending on when you're reading this. Check with your CLPM immediately.)
Why this is a big deal
Reserve linguists are often invisible in these competitions.
The award explicitly says active and reserve Marines are eligible, but reserve commands don't always have robust CLPs or know to nominate their language-capable Marines.
If your unit has Marines grinding through DLPTs, staying current in a second or third language, and applying that directly to mission support, they deserve to be in this competition.
The winner also represents the Marine Corps at the Department of War-level LPoY and CLPoY boards at DLIFLC in July 2026.
And the Marine Corps LPoY will present a best practices briefing to attendees at the Advanced Command Language Program Manager Workshop, held virtually September 15-17, 2026.
That is not a small thing. That is a Marine standing up in front of the entire DoD language community representing this institution.
A smaller note for active-duty Marines
Everything above applies to you as well. LPoY nominations require endorsement from the first O-6 in the nominee's chain of command for FMF units. Active-duty CLPMs should already have their packages moving given the CLPoY deadline of 15 May.
The bottom line
Two awards. One for individual linguists (E-6 and below, any MOS, active or reserve). One for commands with outstanding language programs. Both cover FY2025 actions. Individual nominations due 5 June. Command program nominations due 15 May. All packages go to ForeignLanguageProgram@usmc.mil as PDFs.
What to do with this
If you are a reserve Marine who speaks a foreign language at ILR 2 or higher:
✦ Check your DLPT scores and confirm they are valid for FY25
✦ Talk to your commander or S-2 about putting together a nomination package
✦ Email the foreign language program mailbox for templates before the deadline
If you are a reserve unit commander or S-2:
✦ Identify any E-6-and-below Marines in your unit with current DLPT scores
✦ Review your CLP documentation to see if your program qualifies for CLPoY
✦ Get packages submitted before 5 June (individual) and immediately for CLPoY given the May deadline
If you are a Command Language Program Manager:
✦ Pull the package template from https://go.intelink.gov/FLP or request it by email
✦ Brief your commander on both awards
✦ Route questions directly to MSgt Wheeler at ForeignLanguageProgram@usmc.mil
This is written by a reservist, for reservists. It is not an official publication of HQMC or MARFORRES. Always verify guidance with your command or unit S-1 before acting on any article or summary.
Need a shorter version of this for a drill weekend brief, or a longer breakdown of how to build a CLPoY package from scratch? Say the word.