We are now accepting nominations for the 2025 recipients.
The deadline is September 5, 2025.

About

The American Foreign Service Association established a Language Award Program based on a bequest by Matilda W. Sinclaire, an esteemed former member of the Foreign Service. The purpose of Ms. Sinclaire's bequest was to "promote and reward superior achievement by career officers of the Foreign Service [...] while studying one of the Category III or IV languages under the auspices of the Foreign Service Institute." The guidelines were amended and updated in October 2001 and again in 2013 to expand eligibility for the awards to any career and career-conditional member of the Foreign Service from the Department of State, USAID, FCS, FAS, USAGM and APHIS. Click here for previous recipients.

Up to 10 awards of $1,500 each are made annually to members of the Foreign Service who have distinguished themselves in the study of Category III and IV languages and their associated cultures. (See table of “Sinclaire Languages” below)

AFSA is proud to recognize the foreign language proficiency, dedication, and hard work of Foreign Service employees. For further information on the Sinclaire Awards, please contact awards@afsa.org.

Eligibility

Nominees must be career members of the Foreign Service from State, USAID, the Department of Agriculture or Commerce, the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, or non-tenured entry-level officers. Not eligible for Sinclaire Awards are (a) native or heritage speakers of the language in question, or (b) previous Sinclaire awardees unless nominated in a new language.

Sinclaire Languages

Sinclaire Languages are languages which have proven difficult for native English speakers, and which normally require ten months or more of intensive study either through training or field experience. They are referred to as Category III ("Hard languages" with significant linguistic and/or cultural differences from English) and Category IV ("Super-Hard Languages" which are exceptionally difficult for native English speakers):

*Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

Languages may be added or deleted from this list on the recommendation of the Dean of the School of Language Studies at the Foreign Service Institute and with the approval of the AFSA Awards Committee.

Criteria

The nominee must show outstanding success in learning a Sinclaire Language. In most cases, this is documented by an official FSI language proficiency test. Nominees’ test scores will be confirmed by the Language Testing Unit at FSI/SLS.

Demonstration of outstanding success is attainment of a significantly higher score on the FSI proficiency test than usual at the end of the normal length of training or relative to the amount of training taken. For example, a beginner who scores S-3+/R-3+ or better at the end of a 44-week Russian or 88-week Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean course might be nominated. A person who in a shorter period attained a score normally requiring a much longer period of study might be another case of outstanding success. For example, a beginner who attained a 2+/2+ in Chinese after 36 weeks of training or 3/3 in Turkish after 24 weeks might be nominated. Similarly, non-beginners may display outstanding success if their end-of-training proficiency is outstanding relative to the length of the training.

Beginning January 1, 2025, the State Department changed language testing policy to require a single test score and is now using an “integrated” (i) scoring system. Test scores may be displayed as i<Numerical Score>, for example, i3. Scores may also be reported as S-<Numerical Score> / RX – with the “X” indicating a single modality test was taken (ex S-3/R-X). Translating the examples above to the integrated scoring system, a beginner who scores i3+ or better at the end of a 44-week Russian or 88-week Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Korean course might be nominated. A person who in a shorter period attained a score normally requiring a much longer period of study might be another case of outstanding success. For example, a beginner who attained a i2+ in Chinese after 36 weeks of training or i3 in Turkish after 24 weeks might be nominated.

The learning need not take place at FSI or in any formal program. Persons may be nominated who have learned a Sinclaire Language through self-study in the field or in the United States.

Persons nominated following formal training will normally have completed that training during the year of nomination, although exceptions are possible with written justification.

This award is not for foreign language proficiency attained after multiple courses and in-country usage, or for the use of a foreign language to advance U.S. policy. The Department of State’s Linguist of the Year Award (3 FAM 4832.14) recognizes those achievements.

Nomination Process

Any FSI/SLS Language Training Supervisor or Language and Culture Instructor may nominate candidates. In the field, candidates may be nominated by supervisors at the field school or other overseas training venues, and at posts, by post language officer. The nomination should include the following nomination documents:

1. Completed Sinclaire Award Nominations form signed by the nominator and his/her immediate supervisor.
2. Evidence of enrollment, if nomination is based on formal training (in the case of FSI students, the End of Training Report DS-651). If your nomination is not based on formal training conducted at FSI, please include a copy of your test scores from your Employee Profile to document your language proficiency. (You will still need the FSI Testing Unit to sign your nomination form.)
3. Nominating statement (details on what to include are below).
4. Send the completed form and any other supplementary information to AFSA at awards@afsa.org, subject line "Sinclaire Nomination."

AFSA accepts nominations year-round for the Sinclaire Awards. If your nomination comes after the stated deadline for a given year, it will automatically be slated for consideration in the following year.

Nominating Statement

The nominating statement is written by a person who is familiar with the candidate’s accomplishments in language study, either a teacher or training supervisor, or other relevant individual at post. It should not exceed one “8-1/2 x 11” typed page, and should highlight the following information as relevant:

• The linguistic abilities of the nominee as demonstrated at the end-of-training exam or by observation, examples:
  • Demonstrated ability to apply exceptional cross-cultural understanding
  • Ability to read between the lines
  • Extraordinary ability to communicate ideas
• The significance of the achievement vis-à-vis the nominee’s ability, the peer group’s achievement, and the history of achievement in the language section, examples:
  • Overcame great obstacles. (Please do not include protected EEO characteristics, e.g. pregnancy status, physical/mental disability, age).
  • Among the best three in this year’s class
  • Among the best five ever
• Additionally, the statement might be strengthened by inclusion of one or more of the following examples:
  • The amount and quality of effort invested
  • Spent extra hours before and after the class working on (specify activity)
  • On his/her own found community resources (specify) to use in learning the language and culture
  • Was often the most active participant in the class
  • Made an exceptional contribution (specify) to the class
• Special circumstances of the nominee’s language learning experience, examples:
  • Achieved language proficiency while studying at post only
  • Had to design his/her own program because in-country resources were not available
  • Went out of his/her way to find native speakers to converse with
  • Persisted in using the language even when host country nationals could speak English

Outlining achievement in more than one of these categories will strengthen a nomination.

Nominating statements are reviewed carefully by the AFSA Awards Committee. For candidates nominated by posts, the nominating statement is especially important. It is advised that repeat nominators or those who nominate multiple students in the same year take extra effort to ensure each nomination reflects a candidate’s distinct language abilities.

Selection Process

Final winners are then selected by the AFSA Awards and Plaques committee, with assistance from a representative of the FSI School of Language Studies. The winners are notified by AFSA in the fall.

Questions? Email awards@afsa.org.