The Subaltern of the Year Award recognizes the top C&E Branch Subaltern whose outstanding sense of duty, steadfast dedication to the mission, exceptional loyalty to the chain-of-command, remarkable leadership, and unfaltering professional bearing brought great credit to the Branch, and enabled exemplary Command & Control capabilities to the Canadian Armed Forces.
It may be awarded to a C&E Branch officer holding the rank of Lieutenant or 2nd Lieutenant. A Captain may be nominated so long as the officer served as a Lieutenant at some point throughout the reporting period, and only their time as a subaltern may be counted toward the nomination.
Beyond the time and rank criteria, the nominee must have performed a deed or activity considered beyond the demands of normal duty and who made an exceptional contribution to the goals and objectives of the C&E Branch in support of the Canadian Armed Forces. The officer is considered a top performer who manifests the highest tier of professional bearing coupled with an unrivaled degree of dedication and integrity.
The award is bestowed during C&E Week (late October timeframe) each year.
Award Recipients
| Year | Recipient |
| 2012 | Lt C.D. Vernon |
| 2013 | Lt J.A. Kauenhofen |
| 2014 | Lt G.L. Motycka |
| 2015 | Capt A.M.M. Kisielius |
| 2016 | Capt K.J. Bowen |
| 2017 | Lt K.D. McLaughlin |
| 2018 | Lt Tristan Archabault |
| 2019 | Capt Matthias Bowles |
| 2020 | Capt Garrett McDonald |
