Governor Josh Stein today announced that he will present the state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, to six distinguished North Carolinians on Thursday, November 13, at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville. This is the first time the ceremony will be held outside of Raleigh.
All proceeds from ticket sales for the awards ceremony will go to the North Carolina Community Foundation to help communities recover from Hurricane Helene. Tickets may be purchased online here. This year’s event will feature special performances and exclusive offers, and the event will focus on the resilience of western North Carolina.
The 2025 honorees are Woody Platt and Buddy Melton for Fine Arts, Wiley Cash for Literature, Roy Williams and James Ferguson for Public Service, and Kathie Dello for Science.
“Over the past six decades, the North Carolina Award has been given to many remarkable North Carolinians,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I am pleased to note that our 2025 recipients all either hail from or have made a particular impact in western North Carolina, and I look forward to honoring them in the mountains we all love.”
“We look forward to celebrating the very best of North Carolina in Asheville,” said Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “This year’s awardees join an illustrious list of people who have led North Carolina through their impressive accomplishments in public service, literature, science, and the arts.”
The North Carolina Award was created by the General Assembly in 1961 to recognize significant contributions to the state and nation in the fields of fine arts, literature, public service, and science. Since the award’s inception, more than 300 notable men and women have been honored by the state of North Carolina. Past recipients include William Friday, James Taylor, Etta Baker, Maya Angelou, Lee Smith, Eric Church, Selma Burke, and Branford Marsalis.
The North Carolina Awards Committee consists of Nina S. Szlosberg-Landis (Chair), Wendy Brenner, Joe Sam Queen, and Margaret Weller Stargell. The awards are managed by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
2025 Award Recipients:
Fine Arts: Woody Platt
Woody Platt is a Grammy award-winning bluegrass guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer originally from Brevard, N.C. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Platt is a founding member of western North Carolina-based bluegrass and roots band Steep Canyon Rangers. He helped shape modern bluegrass, earning multiple Grammy nominations, receiving International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards, gaining induction into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, and touring alongside actor, comedian, and banjo player Steve Martin for more than a decade. A passionate fly fisherman and environmentalist, Platt worked with Conserving Carolina and a host of partners to restore a section of the East Fork of the French Broad River near his home in western North Carolina.
Fine Arts: Buddy Melton
As a guiding force and founding member of the bluegrass band Balsam Range, fiddler and singer Buddy Melton has been the voice behind multiple hit songs and has performed on some of the most prestigious stages in the country, including the Grand Ole Opry, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Merlefest. Balsam Range has received countless awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), including multiple trophies for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Melton was named the Male Vocalist of the Year by the IBMA in 2014 and 2018. Buddy has produced multiple historical based musical projects to help preserve and promote the heritage of North Carolina. Originally from Haywood County, N.C., Melton is a graduate of Western Carolina University.
Literature: Wiley Cash
Wiley Cash is an award-winning and New York Times best-selling author of four novels. He has published widely on issues ranging from the environment to music and is the host of the “Our State Book Club” podcast. He teaches fiction writing at the University of North Carolina Asheville, where he serves as the executive director of Literary Arts. Cash’s short stories and essays have appeared in The Oxford American, Garden & Gun, Our State Magazine, and other publications, and his fiction has been adapted for the stage and film. He has taught creative writing and literature at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Bethany College, the University of North Carolina Asheville, and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He holds a doctorate in American Literature from UL-Lafayette, master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and a bachelor’s degree in Literature from UNC Asheville.
Public Service: James Ferguson
James Ferguson II, an Asheville native, was a trailblazing civil rights attorney, best known for his involvement in a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1970 that required school districts to desegregate their schools. Ferguson earned his undergraduate degree at North Carolina Central University and received his Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University in 1967. He co-founded North Carolina's first interracial law firm with Julius Chambers, James Lanning, and Adam Stein, father of North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein. In 1972, Ferguson defended the Wilmington 10, a group of Black men wrongfully charged with arson and conspiracy, and 40 years later, he successfully gained pardons of innocence for them. Throughout his career, Ferguson used his legal skills to desegregate schools, police departments, and countless other public and private agencies. Ferguson passed away in Charlotte on July 21, 2025, at age 82.
Public Service: Roy Williams
Roy Williams retired in 2021 with the third-most wins by a Division I head coach (903) and the sixth-highest winning percentage (.774) in college basketball history. The Asheville native was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, where he is one of 14 Tar Heels enshrined.
Williams won 418 games in 15 seasons at Kansas from 1988-2003 and 485 games in 18 seasons at UNC, his alma mater, from 2003-21. He is the second-winningest coach all-time at Carolina, is third at KU and is the only coach in college basketball history to win 400 games at two schools. Williams is a member of the NABC College Basketball, North Carolina Sports and Kansas Sports Halls of Fame. In 2024, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper awarded Williams the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the governor’s highest honor, which is presented to North Carolinians who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. Williams grew up in the Biltmore neighborhood in Asheville. He attended Roberson High, where he played for Coach Buddy Baldwin. He played on Carolina’s freshman team in 1968-69, earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1972 and a master’s degree in teaching in 1973. After five seasons as the head coach at Owen High School in Black Mountain, Williams joined Dean Smith’s staff at UNC, where he served as an assistant coach from 1978-88. Williams led UNC to NCAA championships as a head coach in 2005, 2009 and 2017 and was an assistant coach when the Tar Heels won the title in 1982. He is the only head coach to win three national championships at his alma mater.
Science: Kathie Dello
Dr. Kathie Dello is the state climatologist of North Carolina and director of the North Carolina State Climate Office (NCSCO) at North Carolina State University, the first woman to hold the position. She also serves as co-director of the NOAA Carolinas Climate Adaptation Partnership, working to advance climate resilience in the region. A recognized leader in climate resilience planning and impact assessment, Dello is a skilled science communicator who frequently collaborates with local and national media, NGOs, and climate organizations. Her experience includes adaptation planning in New York and Oregon, as well as service as a technical advisor for North Carolina’s 2020 Risk and Resilience Plan. She was an author on the Southeast chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Oregon State University, a master’s in geography, and a bachelor’s in Atmospheric Science from the State University of New York at Albany.