On Jun. 22, 1961, the North Carolina Award for Science, the stateﾒs highest civilian honor, was established by the General Assembly. The first medals for the North Carolina Award were given in 1964. The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources administers the award program.

State senator Robert Lee Humber of Pitt County (1898-1970) conceived the awards to recognize the superior achievements of North Carolinians in science, literature, the fine arts, and public service.