2022 North Carolina Awards

Established by the General Assembly in 1961, the North Carolina Award is the highest civilian honor given by the state. Presented annually since 1964, the award recognizes significant contributions to the state and nation in the fields of fine art, literature, public service and science. Though given by the governor, the award is administered by our agency.

The 2022 honorees are the Honorable Eva Clayton for Public Service, Honorable Mickey Michaux for Public Service, Eric Church for Fine Arts, David Zucchino for Literature, Dr. Stanley Riggs for Science and Dr. Priya Kishnani for Science.

“These individuals have enriched North Carolina and our nation through their extraordinary accomplishments,” said Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “Each of them has enhanced the lives of North Carolinians through their lasting achievements in the arts, literature, sciences and public service.”

Fine Arts: Eric Church
Eric Church was born in Granite Falls, N.C., where his musical journey began at the age of 13 when he started writing songs and taught himself how to play the guitar. He earned a degree in marketing from Appalachian State University before moving to Nashville to pursue a music career. A multi-ACM and CMA Award winner, including the 2020 award for CMA Entertainer of the Year, Church has also earned numerous GRAMMY nominations while amassing a passionate fanbase around the globe known as the Church Choir.

Public Service: Honorable Eva M. Clayton
Eva M. Clayton, the first African American woman to represent North Carolina in Congress, was also the state’s first Black representative since 1901 when she took office in the closing months of the 102nd Congress in 1992. Clayton, a staunch defender of rural and agricultural interests, revived the Rural Caucus along with Missouri Republican Jo Ann Emerson. After retiring from Congress in January 2003, Clayton spent three years in Rome, Italy, as Assistant Director-General of the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Science: Priya S. Kishnani, M.D.
Dr. Priya S. Kishnani followed a path into medicine first blazed by her mother, a pediatrician in India. She has treated patients and conducted groundbreaking basic and clinical research at Duke University School of Medicine for close to 30 years. Currently, Kishnani is the Chen Family Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and the chief of the Division of Medical Genetics. Kishnani’s work applies basic science discoveries to clinical trials and pioneering approval of new therapies.

Public Service: Honorable H. M. “Mickey” Michaux Jr.
H. M. “Mickey” Michaux Jr. has spent more than 50 years as an activist, businessman and politician. Michaux was appointed in 1977 to serve as a U.S. attorney, becoming the first African American to serve in that role in the South since Reconstruction.

Science: Dr. Stanley R. Riggs
Dr. Stanley R. Riggs began his work as a marine geologist in the 1960s during a time when few people recognized the importance of climate change research. He has published several books on coastal dynamics and climate change, including "Drowning the North Carolina Coast" and "The Battle for North Carolina’s Coast."

Literature: David Zucchino
David Zucchino, contributing writer for The New York Times and winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy," has covered wars and civil conflicts in more than three dozen countries. He is the author of “Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad” and “Myth of the Welfare Queen.”

The 2022 awards were presented Nov. 15 at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Read the full bio at https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/special-programs/north-carolina-awards

Видео 2022 North Carolina Awards канала N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources