Governor's Awards for Excellence

Click here to nominate 2020 honorees!

The Governor's Award for Excellence is the highest honor a state employee may receive for dedicated service to the State of North Carolina and its citizens. The award gives us an opportunity to recognize exemplary state employees whose service and contributions go beyond the call of duty and make a positive difference in the lives of their fellow North Carolinians.

Nominations for the 2020 Governor’s Awards for Excellence open on March 2 and conclude on April 30. The ceremony recognizing honorees will be held on October 27 at the North Carolina Museum of History.

The Governor's Awards for Excellence Program is designed to acknowledge and express appreciation for outstanding accomplishments that do not fall entirely within the scope of normal duties but are in the nature of a major contribution reflecting credit on the person and State service. The meritorious service or accomplishment is so singularly outstanding that special recognition is justified.

Employees are nominated for the award by other state employees including their supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates. Read the State Employee Awards for Excellence Policy for more information.

Learn more about the 2019 Recipients

Learn more about the 2018 Recipients

Learn more about the 2017 Recipients

Learn more about the 2016 Recipients

Learn more about the 2015 Recipients

Qualifying Employees

Nominees must be permanent state employees and include:

Employees who have a permanent appointment, including the managerial and administrative levels such as:
Deputy and Assistant Department Heads
Division Directors
Deputy and Assistant Directors of major divisions in the larger departments
Key assistants to the Department Head or University Chancellor who exert major policy influence.

Employees not eligible:

Elected officials, department heads, and university chancellors
Employees of the public school system or community colleges
Employees of the judicial branch and
Employees of the General Assembly

Award Categories

Awards are presented in seven categories:

Customer Service – Provided exceptional service that left the customer fully satisfied with their experience. Exceeded expectations to meet the needs of the customer. Added value to the customer experience.
Efficiency & Innovation – Improved the efficiency of state government services. Established new and/or improved methods, practices, plans or designs resulting in innovation, savings and/or efficiencies. This is an ideal area to nominate an employee who has thought of and implemented an employee suggestion that has proven successful.
Human Relations – Made outstanding contributions toward enhancing the quality and morale of the workplace or creating a better public image of state government (such as positive personal interaction with other employees; public awareness; working on relations internally within an agency; or collaboration between different agencies).
Outstanding State Government Service – Exhibited unselfish devotion to duty far and above the normal requirements and contributed significantly to the advancement of state service to the citizens of North Carolina.
Public Service – Made outstanding contributions by participating in or implementing community and public service projects (such as volunteering with various non-profit organizations).
Safety and Heroism – Demonstrated outstanding judgment or courage in an emergency, voluntarily risking his/her life or exhibited meritorious action to prevent injury, loss of life or prevented damage to or loss of property.
Spirit of North Carolina – Exemplified the state motto “To be, rather than to seem.” Mentored others in the pursuit of excellence. Served as an ambassador for the State of North Carolina. This special award is reserved for exceptional circumstances and for accomplishments and achievements of the highest caliber.

Submission Checklist

Online Submission Checklist

Employee’s name, home address and position title
Employee’s basic job description
Employee’s supervisor’s name, email, and phone number
Agency/University Coordinator name and email address
A written a summary of why this employee is being nominated. The summary should be a minimum of 350 words but can be longer if needed.
Category you are submitting this nominee for consideration
Consent from the nominee’s supervisor. The supervisor must be made aware of your intent to nominate the employee before you complete the nomination form.

Once you have this information ready, you are all set to begin the online nomination!

Number of Submissions Allowed Per Agency University

Number of Employees	Number of Nominations
Less than 300 employees	3
300-1,999 employees	6
2,000-10,000 employees	8
More than 10,000 employees	12