The Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Awards for Excellence in Legislative and Civic Leadership celebrate leaders who inspire us with their selfless and collaborative efforts to move South Carolina forward. Principled leadership is what propels us to build stronger communities and advance opportunities for better health, education, and jobs among the diverse people of South Carolina.

In short, the OneSC Awards celebrate the aspirational work of legislative and civic leaders in building a South Carolina that maximizes the potential of all its people, a place every South Carolinian is proud to claim as “home.” Join us each year on this happy occasion in which we shine the light on two of our state’s exceptional leaders.

This award is part of our larger OneSouthCarolina programming. Learn more about OneSC here.

Event sponsorship opportunities

For information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Dawn Brewer at Smoak Public Relations at 678-308-6768.

Past Riley-Wilkins OneSC Award Winners

Listed below are previous winners of the Riley Institute’s Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards. Each award is given in January to honor leadership shown in the previous year(s). For example, the 2019 Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards were presented in January 2020.

Past Legislative Award Winners

2024 Award Winner: Senator Nikki Setzler (D-Lexington Dist. 26)
2023 Award Winner: Senate President Thomas Alexander
2020-2022: COVID Hiatus
2019 Award Winner: Representative Gary Simrill (R-York)
2018 Award Winner: Senator John Matthews, Jr. (D-Orangeburg)
2017 Award Winner: Representative Weston Newton (R-Beaufort)
2016 Award Winner: Representative Rita Allison (R-Spartanburg)
2015 Award Winner: Senator Clementa Pinckney (posthumous award )
2014 Award Winner: Speaker of the SC House Jay Lucas (R-Darlington)
2013 Award Winner: Senator Paul Campbell (R- Berkeley)
2012 Award Winner: Representative James Harrison (R-Richland)
2011 Award Winner: Representative James Smith, (D-Richland)
2010 Award Winner: Senator Wes Hayes (R-York)
2009 Award Winner: Representative Dan Cooper (R-Anderson)
2008 Award Winner: Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter (D-Orangeburg)
2007 Award Winner: Senator Hugh Leatherman (R-Florence)
2006 Award Winner: Speaker of the SC House Bobby Harrell (R-Charleston)
2005 Award Winner: Senator John Drummond (D-Greenwood)

Past Civic Award Winners

2024: Harris DeLoach
2023 Award Winner: Roland Gardner
2020-2022: COVID Hiatus
2019 Award Winner: Nella Barkley
2018 Award Winner: Charlotte Berry
2017 Award Winner: Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr.
2016 Award Winner: Hayne Hipp
2015 Award Winners: Governor Nikki Haley and Mayor Joe Riley
2014 Award Winner: Bill Barnet
2013 Award Winner: Steve Morrison (posthumous award)
2012 Award Winner: Anita Zucker
2011 Award Winner: Ed Sellers
2010 Award Winner: Minor Mickel Shaw

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