How to write a DAF Form 1206 award nomination
A plain-English field guide to the narrative-style 1206 — the statement formula, the line budget and the one-page rule, category headings, the acronym policy, and worked weak-vs-strong examples. Built on DAFMAN 36-2806 and the HAF/A1 performance statement guidance that retired bullets in 2022.
Write each accomplishment as one standalone sentence: rank and last name, a past-tense action, what the nominee did, and a measurable result. No bullets, never more lines than your award authority announces (commonly around ten for quarterly awards), and never more than one page including headings. Have your notes? Draft it against your line budget →
Bullets are out: the narrative 1206
Since 1 October 2022, award nominations are written in narrative style: each accomplishment is a standalone sentence that pairs an action with an impact or result — the same construct the EPB and OPB use. Bullet format is not authorized. That means no leading dashes, no “--” splices, no telegraphic fragments, and no career-field shorthand a board can't decode.
The style change is really a fairness change: boards read nominations from every career field, so the winning package is the one whose plain-language sentences carry verifiable numbers — not the one with the densest abbreviations. Write for a reader who has never seen your shop.
The line budget & the one-page rule
The binding limit on a 1206 is lines on the form, and the award authority announces the number each cycle — around ten lines is typical for a quarterly award. Two rules never move: no nomination exceeds one full page including headings, and going over the announced limit is grounds for disqualification. Going under costs nothing — white space is accepted and expected, so never pad to fill the budget.
Typical cycle line budget
The award authority announces the exact number each cycle — read the announcement before you write.
Page, absolute maximum
Including headings. No nomination exceeds one full page of the form.
Characters per line
At the form's 12pt Times New Roman. Think in statements, not lines — the form is the final arbiter.
Bullets authorized
Narrative sentences only. Breaking format rules on a competitive nomination risks disqualification.
The statement formula
Every statement follows one shape. Hover a component to see it light up in the first example further down; miss any piece and the sentence collapses into either a duty description or unverifiable praise.
+ + [what they did] →
Name the nominee with rank and last name on first mention; pronouns are fine after that. The official exemplars run roughly 150–250 characters per statement — about two to three lines each — which is the density to aim for: one action, one measurable outcome, no filler. Only AFPC-approved acronyms (plus AFSCs, MAJCOMs, and weapon-system designators) survive a cross-career-field board; spell out everything else.
From rough notes to the form
How a 1206 statement comes together in Brevet, and where it goes. Every name, unit and number below is made up.
Read the steps as text
- Rough notes are enough. Your inputs, in your own words.
Action: SSgt Vega - overhauled the tool crib process, 3 shops, 18 techs, new sign-out board + daily audit. Result: lost-tool delays down 35%, 40-order backlog cleared in one quarter.
- Set the cycle's line budget. The award notice names it.
Line budget: 10. The form shows ten line guides and reads 0 / 10 lines.
- Generate. Four complete sentences, each checked against the rules.
01 · ~2 lines: SSgt Vega overhauled the tool-crib process for 3 shops and 18 technicians, cutting lost-tool delays 35% and clearing a 40-order backlog in one quarter.
02 · ~3 lines: SSgt Vega led 18 technicians across 3 shops through a tool-crib overhaul, adding a sign-out board and a daily audit that cut lost-tool delays 35% and cleared a 40-order backlog in one quarter.
03 · ~2 lines: SSgt Vega rebuilt tool-crib sign-out for 3 shops, cutting lost-tool delays 35% for 18 technicians and clearing a 40-order maintenance backlog within the quarter.
04 · ~2 lines: SSgt Vega instituted a daily tool-crib audit across 3 shops, cutting lost-tool delays 35% and clearing a 40-order backlog for 18 technicians in one quarter.
Each passes Action, Impact and Acronyms clear.
- Pick the one that reads like you. Each shows the lines it takes.
02 reads ~3 / 10 lines; 03 reads ~2 / 10 lines. 03 is chosen.
- Copy it. Plain text, ready to paste.
The button reads Copied.
- Paste it into Specific Accomplishments. Two of ten lines used.
The statement lands on the block's first two lines; the form reads 2 / 10 lines.
Category headings
Whether your nomination uses headings is the award program's call, announced with the cycle. Many narrative-era programs run a single unheaded block; others still mandate the legacy categories — “Leadership and Job Performance in Primary Duty,” “Significant Self-Improvement,” “Base or Community Involvement.” Two things to remember: headings count against the line budget, and an empty category reads worse than no category — if the cycle doesn't require headings, spend those lines on another statement.
1206 examples: weak vs. strong
Three accomplishments as a board would first receive them, then rewritten to the standard. Counts are exact, verified against the same deterministic engine the generator uses; the bar reads the ~250-character per-statement target, and each strong statement costs about two lines of a ten-line budget.
- Led 5-mbr tm; slashed mx backlog 40%--saved $1.2M/yr; #1 of 12 NCOs!!
Bullet-era formatting, hard-rejected three ways: the leading bullet dash, the “--” splice, and the stacked exclamation points are not authorized on a narrative 1206 — and “mbr”/“tm” won't survive a board reading across career fields.
TSgt Alvarez led a 5-member team through a 40% maintenance backlog reduction, clearing 212 delayed work orders and saving $1.2M in contract repair costs this year.
The same accomplishment as one plain-language sentence: who led what, the scale, and two measurable outcomes a board can verify. Costs about two lines of budget.
Takeaway — Don't compress with symbols — the line budget rewards one clean sentence, not bullet shorthand.
SSgt Monroe is an absolutely outstanding performer and the epitome of what an NCO should be, truly deserving of this quarter's award.
“Outstanding performer” and “epitome of” are puffery — boards discount adjectives they can't verify. Present tense, and nothing is measured.
SSgt Monroe directed 96 vehicle inspections, corrected 31 safety violations, and delivered a 100% pass rate on the wing's no-notice transportation inspection.
Every claim is a number: inspections directed, violations corrected, and a 100% result on a no-notice inspection.
Takeaway — Awards are won on outcomes — swap every adjective for a metric.
Took part in lots of volunteer events and college classes this quarter, showing real dedication to self-improvement and the local community.
“Lots of” events and classes — no counts, no credits, no hours. The whole-person story is there, but nothing is provable.
A1C Okafor completed 9 CCAF credits toward a logistics degree, then led 14 Airmen through 120 volunteer hours renovating a downtown veterans' shelter.
Credits, people led, and hours — the same story with numbers a board can weigh.
Takeaway — Quantify the whole person too: credits, hours, and people — not “dedication.”
Pre-submit checklist
Run the whole nomination through this before it goes up the chain.
- Read the cycle announcement first. The award authority sets the line budget and any required headings — those are law for this cycle.
- Narrative sentences only. No bullets, no “..” or “--” splices, no ALL-CAPS emphasis, one exclamation point at most.
- Rank + last name on first mention. Pronouns are fine afterward. Never invent details you don't have.
- One action + one measurable outcome per sentence. Roughly 150–250 characters each; a board can weigh numbers, not adjectives.
- Fit the budget with room to spare. Exceeding the announced line limit risks disqualification — and white space is accepted and expected.
- Only approved acronyms. Boards read across career fields — spell out anything not on the AFPC list.
- Nothing sensitive. Use “Data Masked” for protected data; keep classified and CUI out of any drafting tool, this one included.
Frequently asked
What is a DAF Form 1206?
The Nomination for Award form used across the Air Force and Space Force for quarterly and annual awards. Since 1 October 2022, nominations are written as narrative performance statements — complete sentences pairing an action with a measurable impact — not bullets.
Are bullets allowed on a 1206?
No. Bullet format is not authorized on narrative award nominations. Each accomplishment is a standalone sentence with an action and an impact or result; legacy shorthand like “--” splices and abbreviations such as “tm” or “mbr” should be written out in plain language.
How long can a 1206 be?
The award authority announces a maximum number of lines each cycle — commonly around ten for quarterly awards. No nomination may exceed one full page of the form, including headings, and exceeding the announced limit can disqualify the nomination.
Do I have to fill every line?
No. Official guidance is explicit that white space is accepted and expected — the line budget is a ceiling, not a target. A nomination is judged on the strength of its statements, not their volume.
What format should 1206 statements follow?
One standalone sentence per accomplishment: a strong past-tense verb, what the nominee did, quantified scope, and a measurable outcome. Use rank and last name on first mention; pronouns are acceptable afterward. Official exemplars run roughly 150–250 characters per statement.
Can I use acronyms on a 1206?
Only acronyms on the AFPC-approved list, plus categorically approved terms like AFSCs, MAJCOMs, and weapon-system designators. Award boards read across career fields — an acronym the board can't decode works against the nominee. Spell everything else out.
Beyond the 1206
The same action + impact construct powers enlisted and officer evaluations — the caps differ. See the EPB writing guide, EPB examples by MPA, or the OPB writing guide.
Draft to your cycle's line budget.
Tell Brevet your cycle's line count and it drafts narrative statements to fit, then a deterministic validator checks every rule — the budget, action + impact, the no-bullets policy — before the package goes up. The model suggests language; the validator enforces the law.
Draft a 1206 nomination →Sources
This guide reflects the official awards program. Always confirm against the current instruction and your cycle's announcement before you submit: