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North Carolina Award accepting nominations

By Bill Moss, Published: March 9, 2015

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2015 North Carolina Awards, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state and awarded by the governor, through Friday, April 24

Created by the General Assembly in 1961, and administered by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the award recognizes "notable accomplishments by North Carolina citizens" in the fields of literature, science, fine arts and public service.

Award nominations may be submitted by anyone and must include a completed nomination form, cover letter and the nominee's biography or resume. In addition, at least three letters of support must be included and examples of the nominee's work will also be accepted. Six copies of all materials should be sent to the North Carolina Awards Committee, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, 4601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4601.

"This is the opportunity for us to pay tribute to the North Carolinians who better our experiences by their extraordinary involvement in this state," says Susan Kluttz, Secretary of the N. C. Department of Cultural Resources. "Please nominate a co-worker, community leader or friend who has served North Carolina with distinction."

The North Carolina Awards Committee will review the nominations and make its selections this summer. The recipients will be honored by the governor during ceremonies in Raleigh this November. Past award recipients have included some of the country's most distinguished artists, poets, writers, performers, journalists, scientists and public servants.

The 2014 honorees were Dr. Betsy M. Bennett of Chapel Hill for Public Service; Robert A. Ingram of Durham for Public Service; Lenard D. Moore of Raleigh for Literature; Dr. Jagdish (Jay) Narayan of Raleigh for Science; Alan Shapiro of Chapel Hill for Literature and Ira David Wood III of Raleigh for Fine Arts.

Past recipients include William Friday, Romare Bearden, James Taylor, Gertrude Elion, John Hope Franklin, David Brinkley, Maya Angelou, Billy Graham and Branford Marsalis.

The nomination form and guidelines are available online at www.ncdcr.gov/NCAwards/Nominations/Submit. To receive a form by mail or by email, contact jennifer.fontes@ncdcr.gov or (919) 807-7256.