Awards
NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGES AWARDS
Each year, the State Board of Community Colleges bestows a series of awards to recognize excellence and commitment to the community college mission. The 2026 Award Process opens on October 7, 2025, with nominations accepted through November 10, 2025. The nomination period for student awards is October 7, 2025 through December 5, 2025.
Workforce Development Pinnacle Awards
Overview: This award recognizes exemplary employers, businesses, or industry groups that demonstrated engagement and commitment to the education and professional development of its employees and/or the development of North Carolina’s workforce through partnerships with community colleges.
General Eligibility:
- Business Size
- Large: 500 or more employees
- Small: Fewer than 500 employees
- Apprenticeship: Organizations that actively participate in apprenticeship programs in partnership with community colleges.
- Innovative Business: Businesses that demonstrate innovative approaches or practices in partnership with community colleges.
Excellence in Teaching Award
Overview: This award recognizes outstanding faculty members who exemplify the highest quality of instruction and make significant contributions to the North Carolina Community College System.
Eligibility: Any current faculty member, excluding past award recipients, is eligible. Each community college may nominate only one faculty member per year.
I.E. Ready Lifetime Achievement Award
Overview: This award honors individuals who make significant statewide contributions to the North Carolina Community College System. Recipients of this award demonstrate leadership and commitment to the enhancement and development of the System, impacting multiple service areas or contributing to the betterment of the entire state.
Eligibility:
- Current Employment: The nominee cannot be actively employed at a community college or the System Office.
- Impact: The nominee’s contributions should be notable across multiple service areas or the entire state.
President of the Year Award
Overview: This award recognizes exceptional leadership and achievements of a community college president who has made significant contributions to their institution and the broader North Carolina Community College System.
Eligibility: Any current president of an institution within the North Carolina Community College System at the time of the award is eligible, except for past award recipients.
Staff Person of the Year Award
Overview: This award honors outstanding non-teaching staff members who exemplify exceptional performance and dedication to the community college mission across the 58 institutions of the North Carolina Community College System and the System Office.
Eligibility: Any permanent, full-time or part-time staff member, excluding instructors, presidents, System Office employees, and past award recipients, is eligible. Each institution may submit only one nomination per year.
2026 Application Process & Timeline
- The nomination period for 2026 awards will be from October 7, 2025 through November 10, 2025.
- The nomination period for student awards will be from October 7, 2025 through December 5, 2025.
- The State Board of Community Colleges will make announcements about the awards after the January 2026 State Board meeting.
- The award dinner is scheduled for April 15, 2026.
For more information on eligibility criteria, guidelines, and the nomination process, please refer to the respective award sections or contact SBCCAwards@nccommunitycolleges.edu.
Student Awards
The nomination period for student awards below is October 7 - December 5, 2025.
Academic Excellence Award
- Awarded to one student from each of the 58 community colleges.
- Students must be currently enrolled, have completed at least 12 semester hours in a curriculum degree program, 9 hours in a diploma program, or 6 hours in a certificate program, and have a cumulative GPA of no less than 3.25
- Recipients receive a plaque and medallion in honor of their academic accomplishments.
See 2025 Academic Excellence Award Winners
Please submit all nominations via ServiceNow Student Awards.
Dallas Herring Achievement Award
- Established in 2010 to honor Dr. Dallas Herring, an advocate of community colleges.
- Awarded annually to a current or former student who best embodies Dr. Herring’s philosophy of “taking people where they are and carrying them as far as they can go.”
See 2025 Dallas Herring Student Award Winner
Please submit all nominations via ServiceNow Student Awards.
Governor Robert W. Scott Student Leadership Award
- Created in 2004 by the North Carolina Association of Community College Presidents to recognize student leadership and honor former Governor Bob Scott.
- Designed to highlight outstanding curriculum student leadership and service.
Please submit all nominations via ServiceNow Student Awards.