Operation Homefront, serving America’s military families® since 2002, today announced the 95 semifinalists for the 2018 Military Child of the Year® (MCOY) Award.  2018 marks the 10th anniversary of this special event — the nation’s premier celebration of the achievements of our military children.  Semifinalists include Mickayla VanNatter, 15, Guernsey, Wyo., National Guard.

Mickayla was the driving force in a project she planned and carried out this summer at the Guernsey-Sunrise Schools to enhance the elementary playground.  Mickayla's playground project was aimed at providing more variety and a different way for children to enjoy their recreational time during the school day or beyond.

The Military Child of the Year® Award reflects the positive impact that these special young people have made on their military families, their schools, and their communities. The final seven award recipients will travel to Washington, D.C., to be recognized at the April 19 gala, during which senior leaders of each branch of service will present the awards.  They also will each receive $10,000, a laptop computer, and other donated gifts. 

Beyond the ceremony and gifts, the Military Child of the Year® Award is a lifelong source of pride for the recipients and has provided them with amazing opportunities to meet senior military leaders, elected officials, celebrities, and other remarkable military children.  

Mark Newberry, the 2013 Air Force Military Child of the Year®, recently wrote, “One of the greatest honors of my life so far was representing the Air Force in 2013 as an Operation Homefront Military Child of the Year…  If you would have told me as a high school senior that I would be chosen to represent military children at the Operation Homefront gala, meet the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, and receive an Air Force ROTC scholarship that would afford me opportunities to study what I love, jump out of planes, and become a pilot, I wouldn’t have believed you. Being a military child has afforded me so many opportunities that not many children get to experience.”

Thirty-five finalists will be selected in February by a panel of judges chosen by Operation Homefront’s senior leadership. 

Six Military Child of the Year® Award recipients will represent each branch of the armed forces — the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard — for their scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and other criteria while facing the challenges of military family life.  The seventh award is the Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation presented by global technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. 

This award goes to a military child who has designed a bold and creative solution to address a local, regional or global challenge. 

The Military Child of the Year® Award for Innovation recipient will work directly with a Booz Allen Hamilton team to develop a plan to help scale the recipient’s project — drawing on technology and strategic thinking as a part of the corporation’s competitive Summer Games.