CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Mountain Heritage Awards, honoring individuals and organizations whose work preserves, interprets, and celebrates the rich cultural traditions and history of Southern Appalachia.
Annually presented by the chancellor of Western Carolina University, recipients will be honored during the Mountain Heritage Days festival in a public ceremony which will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, at Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center. Award winners will receive an engraved commemorative plaque.
“Mountain Heritage Day started as the university’s way to combat Appalachian stereotypes and celebrate regional craft,” said Mountain Heritage Center director Amber C. Albert. “This will be the 49th year the festival has granted awards to individuals and groups who create exemplary mountain arts and prioritize cultural education.”
The winner of the first Mountain Heritage Award was John Parris, Asheville Citizen-Times columnist and author, in 1976.
Honorees are selected by a committee comprised of community and WCU representatives. The two award categories recognize an individual and an organization for distinguished service, accomplishments, influence or expertise in maintaining the cultural viability of the region.
Nominations must be emailed to mhd@wcu.edu with the subject line “Award Nomination” by Monday, July 7, at 5 p.m.
Nominations should be no more than five pages in length and must outline the nominee’s accomplishments, highlighting their impact in areas such as traditional crafts, music, or social and environmental causes. Submissions should also describe the nominee’s role as a teacher, advocate, leader, or preserver of mountain culture and heritage. A list of awards or other recognitions received by the nominee should be included, and links to online support materials may be provided as optional supplements.
Individual award winners for 2024 were Anna Fariello and, posthumously, Crystal Cauley. The organizational award was given to Darnell Farms. Although last year’s festival was cancelled due to Hurricane Helene, Chancellor Brown presented the awards at the Mountain Heritage Day 50th anniversary concert in March of this year.
The festival, now called Mountain Heritage Days, will span an entire week, Sept. 22-27 and will feature newly added programming such as evening faculty-led lectures with hands-on involvement, heritage demonstrators on the plaza, and a Friday night concert at Bridge Park in Sylva.
WCU will continue to offer an array of family-friendly activities, including cultural demonstrations, music, clogging, mule and tractor rides, traditional arts and crafts vendors, festival food, and much more from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The shift to a week-long model provides additional opportunities for patrons to participate and enhances the visitor experience. The university remains committed to its mission of educating WCU faculty, staff, students and community members about these beloved traditions.
For more information about the history of the festival and the awards, visit mhd.wcu.edu
- Western Carolina University release
