1948 – James Street, Chapel Hill, NC
James Saxon Childers. Chapel Hill, NC
William T. Polk, Greensboro, NC
1949 – Paul Green, Chapel Hill, NC
Betty Smith, Chapel Hill, NC
Sam Ragan, Raleigh, NC
1950 – Margaret L. Coit, West Newberry, MA
Virginia Kirkus, New York, NY
Jonathan Daniels, Raleigh, NC
1951 – Virginia Kirkus, New York, NY
Burke Davis, Greensboro, NC
Frances Gray Patton, Durham, NC
1952 – Frank Borden Hanes, Winston-Salem, NC
Elizabeth Boatwright Coker, Hartsville, SC
Kermit Hunter, Chapel Hill, NC
1953 – Archibald Rutledge, McClellansville, SC
Richard Walser, Raleigh, NC
Marion Sims, Charlotte, NC
1954 – Bruce Catton, New York, NY
Fred Ross, Badin, NC
Judge Susie Sharp, Reidsville, NC
1955 – Clifford Dowdey, Richmond, VA
Ovid Williams Pierce, Dallas, TX
Dr. Richard Bardolph, Greensboro, NC
1956 – V. C. Jones, Washington, DC
ylvia Stallings, Arlington, VA
Dr. Richard Bardolph, Greensboro, NC
1957 – Dr. Frank G. Slaughter, Jacksonville, FL
David Stick, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Rose Howell Holder, Baltimore, MD
1958 – Governor Luther H. Hodges, Raleigh, NC
Betty Smith, Chapel Hill, NC
Tom Wicker, Winston-Salem, NC
1959 – Arthur Larsen, Durham, NC
Helga Sandberg, Falls Church, VA
1960 – Virginia Peterson, New York, NY
John Ehle, Chapel Hill, NC
Edwin Gill, Raleigh, NC
1961 – Henriette Simpson Arnow, Ann Arbor, Ml
Dr. John A. Redhead, Jr., Greensboro, NC
Thad Stem, Jr., Oxford, NC
1962 – Virgilia Peterson, New York, NY
Judge L. Richardson Preyer, Greensboro, NC
Agnew Hunter Bahnson, Jr., Winston-Salem, NC
1963 – Willie Snow Ethridge, Prospect, KY
Voit Gilmore, Washington, DC
Russell Brantley, Winston-Salem, NC
1964 – Virgilia Peterson, New York, NY
Richard McKenna, Chapel Hill, NC
Judge Allen H. Gwyn, Reidsville, NC
1965 – James Reston, Washington, DC
Margaret Cousins, New York, NY
1966 – Harry Reasoner, Washington, DC
Shelly Mydans, Larchmont, NY
1967 – Eugene Exman, Barnstable, MA
Elizabeth Janeway, New York, NY
1968 – Harrison Salisbury, New York, NY
Marya Mannes, New York, NY
1969 – Letitia Baldridge, New York, NY
Robert Cromie, Chicago, IL
1970 – William J. Lederer, Peacham, VT
Joanna Barnes, New York, NY
1971 – Joan Bennett, New York, NY
George Garrett, Columbia, SC
1972 – Ross Terrell, Cambridge, MA
Harriet Van Horn, New York, NY
1973 – Wilma Dykeman, Newport, TN
Parke Rouse, Williamsburg, VA
1974 – Peter Taylor, Charlottesville, VA
Jeff Fields, Jacksonville, FL
1975 – Doris Betts, Chapel Hill, NC
David Halberstam, New York, NY
1976 – Susan Mary Alsop, Washington, DC
Joe Callaway, New York, NY
1977 – Shirley Ann Grau, New Orleans, LA
Reynolds Price, Durham, NC
1978 – Doris Kearns Goodwin, Concord, MA
Tom Wicker, New York, NY
1979 – Frances Fitzgerald, Boston, MA
1980 – Cleveland Amory, New York, NY
Germaine Bree, Winston-Salem, NC
1981 – Sandor Vanocur, Washington, DC
Eugene H. Bohi, High Point, NC
1982 – Sydney Harris, Chicago, IL
Jessica Mitford, Oakland, CA
1983 – Vermont Royster, Chapel Hill, NC
Edwin M. Yoder, Washington, DC
1984 – Vincent Bugliosi, Los Angeles, CA
Robert Lenzner, New York, NY
1985 – William Novak, Boston, MA
John Loftus, Boston, MA
1986 – Tom Wolfe, New York, NY
1987 – Lynn Caine, New York, NY
Gloria Norris, New York, NY
1988 – David Eisenhower, Berwyn, PA
Eli Evans, Durham, NC
1989 – Jerry Bledsoe, Greensboro, NC
Gerald Posner, New York, NY
1990 – Allan Gurganus, New York, NY
1991 – Justin Kaplan, New York, NY
1992 – Tony Hillerman, Albuquerque, NM
1993 – Robert James Waller, Cedar Falls, IA
1994 – Anne Rivers Siddons, Atlanta, GA
1995 – Terry Kay, Atlanta, GA
1996 – Doris Betts, Chapel Hill, NC
1997 – John Berendt, New York, NY
1998 – Pat Conroy, San Francisco, CA
1999 – Jan Karon, Blowing Rock, NC
2000 – Gail Godwin, Woodstock, NY
2001 – Joyce Carol Oates (weather cancellation)
2002 – James Brady, Rye, NY
2003 – Michael Malone, Hillsborough, NC
2004 – Daniel Wallace, Chapel Hill, NC
2005 – Sharon McCrumb, Roanoke, VA
2006 – John Hart, Greensboro, NC
2007 – Roy Blount, Jr., Mill River, MA
2008 – Howard Covington and Jim Schlosser, Greensboro, NC
2009 – Nicholas Sparks, New Bern, NC
2010 – Jennifer Weiner, Los Angeles, CA
2011 – Jennet Conant, New York, NY
2012 – Robert K. Massie, Irvington, NY
2013 – Amor Towles, New York, NY
2014 – Nancy Horan, Puget Sound, WA
2015 – Lisa See, Los Angeles, CA
2016 – Wiley Cash, Asheville, NC
2017 – Helen Simonson, Brooklyn, NY
2018 – Jamie Ford, Great Falls, MT
2019 – Paula McLain, Cleveland, OH
2020 – Brian Lampkin, Greensboro, NC (via Zoom*)
2021 – John Burham Schwartz, New York, NY (via Zoom*)
2022 – Lisa Wingate, North TX and Central CO
2023 – Kristin Harmel, Orlando, FL
2024 – Marie Benedict, Pittsburgh, PA
2025 – Kate Quinn, Maryland