NC Preservation Awards
Presented by: 
Thank you for your interest in the Preservation North Carolina Awards. The strength of our awards program comes from the work of people who take the time to nominate deserving individuals, organizations, and projects that have made a difference in historic preservation. Please see the categories below.
Nominations for the 2020 Preservation North Carolina Honor Awards are CLOSED. Honor Award Winners will be recognized this fall.
Gertrude S. Carraway Awards of Merit
The Gertrude S. Carraway Awards of Merit are named in honor of the late Dr. Gertrude S. Carraway, a noted New Bern historian and preservationist. Presented since 1974, a maximum of twelve awards are given each year. The Awards of Merit give deserved recognition to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a genuine commitment to historic preservation through extraordinary leadership, research, philanthropy, promotion, and/or significant participation in preservation.
Honor Award Categories
Minnette C. Duffy Landscape Preservation Award
The Minnette C. Duffy Landscape Preservation Award is the highest honor given for the preservation, restoration or maintenance of landscapes, gardens, streetscapes, or grounds related to historic structures. This award recognizes the importance of the landscape in the preservation of historic structures. First presented in 1987, the award is made possible by the family of the late Minnette Chapman Duffy of New Bern, whose leadership contributed to the reconstruction of Tryon Palace.
L. Vincent Lowe, Jr. Business Award
The L. Vincent Lowe, Jr., Business Award is the highest honor presented to a business which assists or promotes historic preservation in North Carolina. Established in 1983 as the North Carolina Business Award, the name was changed in memory of Vince Lowe of Wilson, a longtime supporter of historic causes in North Carolina, who was serving as Chairman of Preservation NC’s 50th Anniversary Campaign at the time of his unexpected death in 1989.
Stedman Incentive Grant
The Stedman Incentive Grant is awarded to recognize and assist non-profit organizations in their efforts to preserve the state’s architectural heritage. Originating in 1976, the award is funded each year by the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation of Greensboro in memory of Marion’s father. The $10,000 grant encourages and facilitates the rescue of endangered historic and architecturally significant properties in North Carolina.
Robert E. Stipe Professional Award
The Robert E. Stipe Professional Award is the highest honor presented to working professionals who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to preservation as part of their job responsibilities. The award was established in 1983 to honor the contributions of Robert E. Stipe of Chapel Hill, an educator in the field of historic preservation and a mentor to a generation of preservation professionals.
Ruth Coltrane Cannon Award
The Ruth Coltrane Cannon Award, North Carolina’s most prestigious preservation award, is presented to an individual or organization that has made contributions of statewide significance to historic preservation in North Carolina. Originating in 1948, the award is named for Ruth Coltrane Cannon of Concord—president of the North Carolina Society for the Preservation of Antiquities,1945-1956—in recognition of her outstanding contributions to preservation. The recipient receives an engraved pewter cup. The winner’s name is also added to a master Cannon Cup, which now includes a long list of North Carolina notables. Only one Cannon Award is presented each year.
Click here for a list of previous Preservation North Carolina Honor Award Winners
Click here for list of 2019 Winners
Instructions for submitting a nomination:
Preservation North Carolina Deadline: June 26, 2020
2020 Honor Award Nomination Application
All materials must be submitted electronically. Accepted forms of submission include: CD, USB drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox.
Required materials:
• A completed nomination form, emailed or mailed to Clarissa Goodlett at Raleigh’s PNC Office.
• A concise, accurate narrative of 800 words or less about the individual, organization or project being nominated in MS Word format.
• At least 8 photos in JPEG format (300 dpi or greater and at least 1MB file size) of presentation quality. This means the file size of the photograph should be at least 900 -1000 KB. The photos are used during the presentation of the award. Please make sure these provide the best representation of the nomination. Printed photos will not be accepted. Ideally your submission should include between 10-15 high quality images of the project/person you are nominating.
• Up to five supporting brochures, letters of support, web site articles or news clippings. Other potential supporting documents may include, but are not limited to Historic Register nomination excerpts, constructions drawings, brochures and letters of support.
• A self-addressed, stamped envelope if nomination materials are to be returned.
Nomination materials will not be returned unless requested and the return envelope is provided.
Photographs should illustrate the following:
• For projects – Before and after images showing various interior and exterior views
• For programs – Important sites, products or other aspects of operation
• For individuals – A good image of the nominee and photographs of work for which he or she is being nominated. You MUST include at least 1 high quality photo of the nominee.
• All photos should be labeled, numbered, and include a credit line for publication (use a separate sheet of paper if necessary). The nominator is responsible for obtaining photographer permissions for publication of photographs in connection with awards announcements. Please DO NOT label photos DIRECTLY on the photograph. Provide captions beneath the photograph, in the file name, or on a separate sheet.
• Photos must be in JPEG format. Printed photos, pdfs, and other formats will not be accepted.
• You must submit photos individually. DO NOT submit photos pasted onto a Microsoft Office Word, Powerpoint, PDF or other document.
If this is a first-time nomination and it is not selected, it may be held over for reconsideration the following year.
For more information, contact Clarissa Goodlett at 919-832-3652 x238 or by e-mail at cgoodlett@presnc.org.
Please submit all nomination materials together, along with the completed form, and send to:
Clarissa Goodlett at cgoodlett@presnc.org, or Preservation North Carolina, P.O. Box 27644, Raleigh, NC 27611-7644