Awards for Excellence

Awards for Excellence is the most prestigious honor bestowed upon non-faculty employees. This award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of individual employees, above and beyond an employee’s normal job responsibilities.

Quick Stats

Eligibility

Criteria

Nominations

Coordinators

Honorees

Ceremony Gallery

Quick Stats

326

2024 Awards for Excellence Nominations

55

2024 Awards for Excellence Honorees

8

Total Governor’s Award Winners

Eligibility

SHRA employees, including law enforcement and cooperative extension employees, working at least 30 hours each week (0.75 FTE), are eligible to be nominated for the Awards for Excellence.

Active EHRA employees, not including executive administrators, Department Heads, and faculty, working at least 30 hours each week (0.75 FTE), are also eligible to be nominated for the Awards for Excellence.

Temporary employees, retirees, groups or teams and positions classified as executive administrators are not eligible. Examples of temporary employees include, but are not limited to, graduate assistants, house officers, postdoctoral scholars, and student workers.

Criteria

Individuals can be recognized who demonstrate one of the following award categories within their departments or divisions, the NC State campus community, the State of North Carolina, or the lives of others:

Customer Service
- This category recognizes a candidate who provides/provided exceptional service that left the customer fully satisfied with their experience. The candidate exceeded expectations to meet the needs of the customer and added value to the customer experience.
Efficiency and Innovation
- This category recognizes a candidate who has made a significant contribution in improving the efficiency of state government services. The candidate has established new and/or improved methods, practices, plans or designs resulting in innovation, savings and/or efficiency.
Human Relations
- This category recognizes a candidate who has made an outstanding contribution toward enhancing the quality or morale of the workplace or toward enhancing the public image of a department or division, NC State University, or state government.
Outstanding State Government Service
- This category recognizes a candidate who demonstrates an unselfish devotion to duty far and above the normal requirements and contributes significantly to the advancement of state service to the citizens of North Carolina.
Public Service
- This category recognizes a candidate who has made an outstanding contribution through volunteerism or through implementing community or public service projects.
Safety and Heroism
- This category recognizes a candidate who demonstrates 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
- This category recognizes a candidate who exemplifies the state motto “To be, rather than to seem” by mentoring others in the pursuit of excellence and serving as an ambassador for the State of North Carolina. This award category is reserved for exceptional circumstances and for accomplishments and achievements of the highest caliber.

All Awards for Excellence nominations require the approval of the nominee’s manager. Nominees will be disqualified in the event of any active or pending disciplinary actions or in the event of documented disciplinary actions within the preceding 18 months.

How to Write An Exceptional Nomination

Use this guide to write an exceptional nomination to fully convey the reason you are nominating an individual.

Guide

Nomination Process

2025 NC State Awards for Excellence Nomination Form

To nominate an eligible employee (see above eligibility requirements) for the 2025 NC State Awards for Excellence, complete the below nomination form including a reason for your nomination. Submitted nominations will be sent to the employee’s College/Division and reviewed based on the respective College/Division’s selection criteria. Nomination questions may be directed to your unit’s Awards for Excellence Coordinator, which can be found above.

To nominate an eligible employee for the 2025 NC State Awards for Excellence, complete the below nomination form including a reason for your nomination. Nominations must be a minimum of 350 words and a maximum of 500 words. Submitted nominations will be sent to the employee’s College/Division and reviewed based on the respective College/Division’s selection criteria. Please contact your college/division coordinator with questions.
Nominator Information
Name*
First Last
Employee ID number*
Nominator College or Unit*
Relationship to Nominee*
Phone*
Email*
Nominee Information
Name*
First Last
Employee ID
Phone Number*
Nominee College or Unit*
Job Title*
Employee Classification
- SHRA
- EHRA
Supervisors Name*
Supervisor's Email Address*
Nomination Category*
Reason for Nomination*
Please submit a reason for nomination in text field or upload a letter of nomination below; Nomination should be at least a minimum of 350 words and a maximum of 500 words to be considered. Nominations with no reason for nomination, either entered in text field or uploaded, will not be considered.
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