| Recipient | Award Year | Notability | References |
| 1981–82 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team | 1982 | 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament National Champions; Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Champions and Regular Season Co-champions | [1] |
| Charles W. Albertson | | North Carolina Senate | |
| Elreta Alexander-Ralston | 1995 | Trial attorney and North Carolina District Court Judge | |
| Gordon P. Allen | 2010 | North Carolina Senate | |
| Jo Allen | 2024 | President of Meredith College | [3] |
| American Red Cross | 1982 | Humanitarian organization | |
| Maya Angelou | 1992 | Poet, author, and civil rights activist | [4][5] |
| Balsam Range | 2015 | Bluegrass band | [6] |
| William Barber II | 2010 | Minister and political activist | |
| Harry Belafonte | | Calypso singer and actor | [7][1] |
| Jack Betts | 2006 | Journalist and associate editor of The Charlotte Observer | |
| Dan Blue | 2003 | Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina Senate | |
| Blue Angels | 2003 | United States Navy flight demonstration squadron | [7] |
| John Baker | 1971, 1987, 2004 | Professional football player and Wake County Sheriff | |
| George W. BonDurant | 2009 | Founder and first president of Atlanta Christian College and Mid-Atlantic Christian University | |
| Charlie Boney | 2014 | Architect | |
| Rod Brind'Amour | 2024 | Professional hockey player and coach | [8] |
| Jim Broyhill | 1992 | United States House of Representatives and United States Senate | |
| Peter S. Brunstetter | 2016 | North Carolina Senate | |
| Wanda G. Bryant | 1980 | Associate judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals | |
| Shirley Caesar | 1979, 1995, 2016 | Grammy Awards winning Gospel singer | [7] |
| Isabella Cannon | 1999 | First female Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina | |
| Rod Carew | 1984 | Baseball player and coach | [7] |
| Fred Chappell | 2003 | North Carolina Poet Laureate | |
| Richard Childress | 1994 | NASCAR race car driver and businessman | [9]: 634 |
| Shirley Chisholm | | First Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress | [7][1] |
| Janice Cole | 2001 | United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina | [10] |
| Linda Combs | 2022 | Comptroller of the Office of Management and Budget | |
| Bonnie Ethel Cone | 2003 | Founder of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte | |
| Janet Cowell | 2017 | North Carolina State Treasurer and North Carolina Senate | |
| David Crabtree | 2022 | Journalist and lead anchor of WRAL-TV | |
| Joan Crawford | | Actress | [7][1] |
| Paul R. Cunningham | 2016 | Dean of The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University | |
| Charlie Daniels | 1984 | Singer, musician, and songwriter | [7] |
| Frank A. Daniels Jr. | 1995 | Publisher of The News and Observer | [1][11] |
| Chuck Davis | 2007 | Dancer | |
| Crash Davis | 1979 | Minor League Baseball player | |
| Claude DeBruhl | 1981 | North Carolina House of Representatives and veterans advocate | |
| Ruby Dee | 2000 | Actress | |
| Walter Dellinger | 2010 | Acting United States Solicitor General and law professor | |
| Walter DeVries | 1998 | Political consultant and founder of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership | |
| James Dodson | 2012 | Sports writer | |
| Phil Donahue | 1982 | Talk show host and writer | [7] |
| Philip L. Dubois | 2020 | President of the University of Wyoming and chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte | |
| Dale Earnhardt | 1994 | NASCAR stock car racing driver and racing team owner | [9]: 634 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2018 | NASCAR stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcaster | |
| Thereasea Elder | 2001 | First African American public health nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| Karl Eikenberry | 2016 | United States Army lieutenant general and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan | |
| Myrlie Evers-Williams | 1995 | Civil rights activist | |
| S. Scott Ferebee Jr. | 2001 | Architect | |
| Tom Fetzer | 1992 | Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina and chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party | |
| Gerald Ford | | President of the United States | [7][1] |
| John Hope Franklin | 1995 | Historian and writer | [7] |
| William C. Friday | 2004 | Head of the University of North Carolina system from 1956 to 1986 | [5] |
| Shirley Fulton | 2011 | First African American female judge in the North Carolina Superior Court | |
| Roman Gabriel | 1988 | Professional football player | [7] |
| Norman C. Gaddis | 2023 | United States Air Force Brigadier General | |
| Clarence Gaines | 1979, 1988, 1993 | Mens basketball coach at Winston-Salem State University | |
| Harvey Gantt | 1984 | Architect and the first black Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina | |
| John Glenn | 1979 | NASA astronaut and United States Senate | [7] |
| Danny Glover | 2003 | Actor | [10] |
| Jeff Gordon | 2016 | NASCAR stock car racing driver and stock car racing executive | [9]: 654 |
| Tipper Gore | 1997 | Second Lady of the United States and co-founder of the Parents Music Resource Center | [7] |
| Billy Graham | 1996 | Evangelist, Southern Baptist minister, and civil rights advocate | [4][5] |
| Franklin Graham | 2015 | Christian Evangelist and missionary | |
| William A. Griffin | 2010 | Preacher and president of Mid-Atlantic Christian University | |
| Andy Griffith | 2012 | Actor | [12] |
| Philip F. Gura | 2019 | Cultural historian and academic | [13] |
| Lloyd V. Hackley | 1992 | Chancellor of Fayetteville State University and president of the North Carolina Community College System | [14] |
| Bob Hall | 2017 | Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina | |
| Mia Hamm | 1995 | Professional soccer player | [7] |
| Bob Harris | 2017 | Sportscaster | |
| Fletcher L. Hartsell Jr. | 1992 | North Carolina Senate | |
| Nathan O. Hatch | 2021 | President of Wake Forest University | [15] |
| Merlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll | 1986 | Earl of Erroll | |
| Rick Hendrick | 1996 | NASCAR racing driver and team owner | [4][9]: 654 |
| George M. Holmes | 1992 | North Carolina House of Representatives | |
| James Holshouser | 1983 | Governor of North Carolina | |
| Jonathan Howes | 1997 | Secretary, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources | [16] |
| Engelbert Humperdink | | Pop singer | [7][1] |
| Catfish Hunter | | Professional baseball player | [7] |
| William E. Ingram Jr. | 1995 | Lieutenant General and director of the Army National Guard | |
| Jesse Jackson | 1982 | Civil rights activist and shadow congressperson for Washington, D.C. | [7] |
| J. Charles Jennette | 2020 | Nephropathologist, academic, and author | |
| George Jessel | 1979 | Vaudeville performer and actor | [7] |
| Junior Johnson | 1984 | NASCAR stock car racing driver and team owner | [7] |
| George Jones | 1970 | Country musician | |
| Wilbur D. Jones Jr. | 2023 | Author, military historian, and preservationist | [17] |
| Michael Jordan | 1985 | College and professional basketball player | [18][5] |
| Alexander Julian | 1980 | Fashion designer | [7] |
| Ralph Ketner | 2015 | Founder of Food Lion | [19] |
| Jean-Claude Killy | | Olympic Alpine skier | [7] |
| Coretta Scott King | 2002 | Civil rights leader and wife of Martin Luther King Jr. | [10] |
| Earline Heath King | 2003 | Sculptor | [20] |
| Fred Kirby | 1980 | Singer-songwriter | [7] |
| Mike Krzyzewski | 2022 | College basketball coach | [21] |
| I. Beverly Lake Jr. | 2006 | Chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court | [10] |
| Bill Leslie | 2018 | News anchor for WRAL-TV and New-age music recording artist | [22] |
| William Ivey Long | 2001 | Costume designer | [10] |
| Betty Lynn | 2016 | Actress | |
| Doug Marlette | 2007 | Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist | |
| John C. Martin | 2014 | Chief Judge of the North Carolina Court of Appeals | |
| David T. McCoy | 2000 | N.C. State Controller and Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation | [23] |
| Scotty McCreery | 2017 | Country music singer | [24] |
| Mike McIntyre | 2014 | U.S. House of Representatives | [25] |
| Kenneth Merritt | | Parachutist | |
| Mary Lee Mills | | Nurse | [26][27] |
| Ronnie Milsap | 1984 | Country music singer | [7] |
| Michael A. Milton | 2018 | Minister, theologian, and singer-songwriter | |
| Burley Mitchell | 1992 | Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court | |
| Jerry Moore | 2012 | Football player and coach | |
| Hugh Morton | 1984 | Photographer and conservationist who developed Grandfather Mountain | [7] |
| Wendell H. Murphy | 1992 | North Carolina House of Representatives and North Carolina Senate | |
| Bess Myerson | 1979 | Miss America, model, and television actress | [7] |
| Hal Needham | 1983 | Stunt performer and film director | [7] |
| Leslie Nielsen | | Actor | [7][1] |
| Virginia Newell | 2017 | Mathematics educator, author, and politician | |
| Edward Francis North, Earl of Guilford | 1982 | 9th Earl of Guilford | [1] |
| Margaret Nygard | 1995 | Educator and conservationist | |
| Carmen Hooker Odom | 2007 | Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services | |
| Benny Parsons | 2007 | NASCAR driver and pit reporter | |
| Itzhak Perlman | 1983 | Violinist | [7] |
| Gaylord Perry | | Professional baseball player | [7] |
| Richard Petty | 1988 | NASCAR stock car racing driver | [12] |
| Gary Player | 1983 | Professional golfer | [7] |
| Sidney Poitier | 1993 | Actor and diplomat | [7] |
| Art Pope | 1992 | North Carolina House of Representatives and businessman | [7] |
| Colin Powell | 1993 | United States secretary of state | |
| Marc Pruett | 2015 | Bluegrass banjo player | [6] |
| Nido Qubein | 2005 | Businessman and motivational speaker | |
| André Raphel | 2001 | Conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra | [28][29] |
| James E. Ramsey | 2012 | Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives | |
| Robert Redford | 1984 | Actor and filmmaker | |
| John Shelton Reed | 2023 | Sociologist, essayist, and author | |
| William Rehnquist | 1994 | Chief Justice of the United States | [7] |
| Gene Roberts | 2015 | National and executive editor of The New York Times | |
| Kenny Rogers | 1982 | Country music singer and songwriter | [7] |
| Thomas Warren Ross | 1999 | President of the University of North Carolina system | |
| Robert W. Scott | 1971 | Governor of North Carolina | |
| Earl Scruggs | 1984 | Bluegrass musician | [7] |
| Hugh Shelton | | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | [7][1] |
| Claude Sitton | 1985 | The New York Times reporter and editor, The News & Observer editor | |
| Enos Slaughter | 1983 | Professional baseball player | [7] |
| Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith | 1984 | Composer, musician, and record producer | [7] |
| Dean Smith | 1988 | College basketball coach | [12] |
| James Smith | 1993, 1995 | Boxer and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion | [7] |
| Mike Sprayberry | 1998 | North Carolina Emergency management director | |
| Ted G. Stone | 1999 | Evangelist | |
| Curtis Strange | 1991 | Professional golfer | [7] |
| Ben C. Sutton Jr. | 2014 | Investor, philanthropist, and the founder of Teall Capital | |
| Wendell Tabb | 2022 | Theater teacher | |
| Bob Timberlake | 2006 | Artist | [4] |
| Patricia Timmons-Goodson | 1999, 2005 | North Carolina Supreme Court and federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina | [10] |
| Randy Travis | 1987 | Country music and gospel music singer | [7] |
| Lanny Wadkins | 1988 | Professional golfer | [7] |
| George Walker | 1997 | Classical composer and the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music | |
| Jerry M. Wallace | 2015 | President of Campbell University | [30] |
| Rusty Wallace | 2005 | NASCAR racing driver | |
| Edith D. Warren | 2012 | North Carolina General Assembly | [31] |
| Robert D. Warren Sr. | 2005 | North Carolina Senate | |
| Doc Watson | 1999 | Grammy Awards winning bluegrass singer and songwriter | [7] |
| Norman Adrian Wiggins | 1976, 1980, 1996, 1998 | President of Campbell University | [1] |
| Laura I. Wiley | 2016 | North Carolina House of Representatives | |
| Harvey D. Williams | 1996 | U.S. Army major general and first African-American commander of Fort Myer | |
| Ted Williams | 1981 | Professional baseball player | [7] |
| Tennessee Williams | 1981 | Playwright and screenwriter | [7] |
| Oprah Winfrey | 1987 | Talk show host, actress, producer, and author | [12] |
| Leslie Winner | 1999 | North Carolina Senate and general counsel and vice president for the University of North Carolina system | |
| Jeremiah Wolfe | 2017 | Cherokee stonecutter, stickball caller, and storyteller | [32] |
| Ira David Wood III | 1994 | Actor, playwright, and executive director of Theatre in the Park | |
| James Worthy | 1985 | College and professional basketball player | |
| Aldona Wos | 2015 | United States Ambassador to Estonia and Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services | [33] |
| Tammy Wynette | 1970 | Country music singer | [7] |
| Andrew Young | 2002 | Civil rights activist, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and the Mayor of Atlanta | [7] |