Publications will be judged on a point basis according to the following criteria:

1. Extent of lasting reference and informational value.
2. Extent to which the publication appeals to a broad audience and is written in a lucid style.
3. Extent to which the publication helps to enhance quality of life or provides information that assists in making informed decisions. 
4. Extent to which the publication contributes to an understanding of government processes, provides significant government information, or reflects the mission the agency.
5. Extent to which the publication displays an innovative presentation or a creative approach. Consideration is given to features such as typography, design, quality of illustrations, use of maps, graphs, color, ease of use, and the extent to which the publication is generally pleasant to look through.
6. Extent to which the title reflects actual contents and achieves its purpose by doing what it says it will do.

Please follow these guidelines when submitting your nomination:

The publication was produced by the State, a state agency or department, state-supported college or university, or by a firm which produced the publication under contract with or supervision of a state agency.

The publication was produced within the calendar year for which nominations are being accepted. However, a publication produced in a previous calendar year, but not received by the State Library until the current year may also be submitted for nomination.

The publication, in either physical or electronic format, has been provided to the SC State Library for addition to the SC State Documents Depository.

Please note, submissions may also be sent to our state publications email address: StateDocuments@statelibrary.sc.gov

The Notable State Documents Awards Program began in 1991 to recognize exemplary state publications. In honor of Freedom of Information Day, awards are presented each March in a ceremony at the State Library. The awards recognize notable state agency publications that were released in the previous calendar year. State agency publications received by the State Library qualify to be nominated. Nominations may be submitted by depository librarians, State Library staff, or state agency employees. Agency websites and apps also qualify as nominees.

All nominations are reviewed by librarians at the State Library, and approximately 25 documents are selected as final candidates. Librarians familiar with depository collections and/or state agency representatives are invited to serve as judges. Our judges review the candidates and select the final winners on the basis of criteria such as the document's appeal to a large audience, or its ability to provide significant information to the public.

The archive for previous winners is available in our digital State Documents Depository.

Enter your nominations for the 2025 Notable State Documents Awards or click on the Award Logo on the left. Nominations for publications produced during 2025 will be accepted through December 31, 2025.

      Monographs (physical or born digital)

• Hurricane Helene: Timber Damage Report for South Carolina* | South Carolina Forestry Commission
  This hurricane timber damage report provides detailed guidance for forest landowners who were impacted by last fall's storm damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The report includes a thorough assessment of the timber damage from Hurricane Helene, the impacts on the forest industry, and urban forest damage. It also includes information about the Forestry Commission’s response after the storm passed and detailed guidance for forest landowners who were impacted.                                                                                                                                                                             
• Fort Frederick: A SCDNR Heritage Preserve and the World It Changed* | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Heritage Trust Program
  This imaginative children's book introduces young South Carolinians to historic Fort Frederick (c. 1733), the oldest surviving tabby fort in South Carolina, and the oldest known tabby structure in Beaufort County. A Barking Tree Frog named Laura guides young readers through the prehistory and history of Fort Frederick based on what archaeologists have documented at the site. The fort was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1999, the site was acquired and dedicated as a heritage preserve by the SCDNR with funds from the Heritage Land Trust Fund, and by a donation from the National Park Service's Federal Lands to Parks Program. In 2017, the preserve was included in the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
      
• Federal & State Agriculture Resource Guide | South Carolina Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness Center for Research & Entrepreneurship
  The South Carolina Department of Agriculture partnered with the Agribusiness Center for Research & Entrepreneurship (ACRE) to create a guide for South Carolina farmers and agribusinesses to help them take advantage of the numerous resources available to them. Resources can be a vital part of starting a farm/agribusiness, creating a business plan, expanding to a new market, applying for a grant, creating a new product, etc. This booklet gives a snapshot of the agriculture resources, Federal, State, Community Based Organizations, Funding Opportunities and Private Consultants, available to South Carolinians and where to find more detailed information on all of them.
                          
• The Economic Impact of the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium: A State-Level and Regional Perspective | University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business; South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium
  In 2024, the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium published The Economic Impact of the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium: A State-Level and Regional Perspective, which was prepared in collaboration with Joseph C. Von Nessen, Ph.D., a research economist at the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business. The report documents the economic impact of activities supported by the Consortium in fiscal year 2022-2023, including the creation of new jobs and income derived from the acquisition of federal funds; the management of volunteer-driven programs; and support for education and workforce training programs. The report results illustrate that the Consortium’s research, education, and outreach programming is of significant value to economic, environmental, and social well-being.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
• Carolina Collaborative for Early Childhood Innovation: Evaluation Toolkit | South Carolina First Steps
  The purpose of this South Carolina First Steps toolkit is to guide the evaluation of an early childhood innovation program and to increase both the breadth and depth of understanding when applying principles of responsive, inclusive, and accessible evaluation within the Early Childhood community. The toolkit was made possible by the colleagues, local partnerships from North and South Carolina, and the experts from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child and Start Early Innovation Lab, who shared their knowledge, skills, and abilities to make evaluation accessible and approachable to all. Local partnerships with First Steps in Barnwell, Berkeley, Cherokee, Dillon, Greenville, and York counties also participated in discussion with staff from the North Carolina Partnership for Children to develop a plan for implementing and testing early childhood innovation projects in South Carolina. This toolkit is grounded in First Steps’ philosophy and approach to evaluation. By using this evaluation toolkit, they hope Early Childhood Innovation Centers will aid the ongoing process for Center's to improve their programs and spark new ideas for more effective innovations.
   

  Serials

• Ditch the Pitch: A Guide for Guarding Against Scams | South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs
  In an ever-changing marketplace and with the rapid development of technology, scammers are more active (and more successful) than ever. In response, the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) released an updated 2024 guide for South Carolina consumers titled “Ditch the Pitch: A Guide for Guarding Against Scams.” Educating consumers is, and always has been, a large part of the Department of Consumer Affairs' mission. The publication arms consumers with information to spot and avoid numerous popular scams used today by scammers by phone and online. It also shares red flags, the most common signs of a scam, a roadmap to avoid scams, details on commonly used scams such as spoofing, phishing, and internet and social media scams, and what consumers can do if a scammer has obtained their sensitive personal information.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
• Ready for Kindergarten: A Guide for South Carolina Families | South Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council
  The 2024 Ready for Kindergarten: A Guide for South Carolina Families, designed and distributed by South Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council, provides families with useful information and simple tips to prepare children for a successful transition to school. The guide describes 60 developmental milestones for rising kindergarten students including a School Readiness Checklist, a Guide to Better Bedtimes, Simple Tips for Reading Together with your child, Learning at Home and much more. This guide was a project of the SC Early Childhood Advisory Council and is supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five Initiative from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
• SC Agritourism Association Membership Directory 2024* | South Carolina Department of Agriculture, South Carolina Agritourism Association
  The South Carolina Agritourism Membership Directory helps South Carolinians discover the many family-friendly outings across the state that are happening year-round. From complicated corn mazes to beautiful scenery, South Carolina agritourism has something to offer people of all ages. These adventures can offer both memorable experiences and leave South Carolinians with a better understanding about where our food comes from. It is also a helpful guide to anyone interested in exploring rural South Carolina and learning about life on farms, ranches, and other agriculture settings outdoors. The directory provides addresses, contact information, and a short annotation and description of its member farms. A map, divided into regions, shows the farms' locations and a listing of farm activities is included near the index.                                                                                                                                                                                     
• Poll Managers Handbook* | South Carolina State Election Commission
  The South Carolina Poll Manager's Handbook is a comprehensive guide designed to equip poll managers with the knowledge and tools necessary to conduct fair, efficient, and accurate elections in South Carolina. It provides detailed instructions on managing polling places, handling voters and ballots, ensuring compliance with election laws, and addressing common issues that may arise on Election Day. This resource serves as an essential reference to ensure poll managers fulfill their responsibilities with professionalism and confidence. There are over 300 elections every year in South Carolina and a statewide election has over 14,000 poll managers, so the impact of this resource is substantial.
  
  Websites
• After Action Television Program Website: https://www.afteractionshow.org/ | South Carolina Educational Television
  After Action is a South Carolina Educational Television program directed and produced by award-winning SCETV staff Don Godish and Hannah Merchant. The program is hosted by Air Force combat veteran Stacy Pearsall and reveals the experiences of 21 diverse veterans from across the country through candid conversations about what life is like before, during and after action. Pearsall’s own struggles to reconnect with society challenges her fellow veterans to probe deeper into their stories, helping to provide a better appreciation for those who’ve served. The After Action website promotes the television program, provides links to episodes and how to watch them, provides additional content and resources through the Stories section that the show covers in its two seasons. It also provides numerous helpful resources for combat veterans including crisis hotlines, Veterans programs, and links to other content such as the National Resource Directory that connects wounded warriors, Service Members, Veterans, their families, and caregivers to programs and services that support them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
• Skull Creek Chronicles: Stepping into the Past at Green's Shell Enclosure Heritage Preserve | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Heritage Trust Program; Linville Historical Consulting

  The Skull Creek Chronicles: Stepping into the Past at Green's Shell Enclosure Heritage Preserve is a story map funded and produced by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ Heritage Trust Program in partnership with Linville Historical Consulting. It tells the prehistory and history of this rich historic site through a timeline of images, maps, and a vivid historical narrative and archaeological discovery. Situated along the shore of Skull Creek on Hilton Head Island, Green’s Shell Enclosure Heritage Preserve encompasses three acres and is one of the smallest of the 80 Heritage Preserves the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources manages. Nevertheless, this remarkable cultural site represents the fascinating and diverse layers of South Carolina’s past.                         

• South Carolina Coastal Atlas | South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, Bureau of Coastal Management

  South Carolina is rich in the variety and abundance of its coastal resources. Healthy and protected coastal ecosystems provide opportunities for recreation, support commercial and recreational fisheries, and bolster domestic and international tourism. The goal of the South Carolina Coastal Program is to achieve balance between the appropriate use, development and conservation of coastal resources in the best interest of all residents. This South Carolina Coastal Atlas ArcGIS StoryMap, created by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), allows viewers to explore the history, tools and initiatives of the agency's Bureau of Coastal Management. Through remarkable video and photography, the StoryMap shares the program's history and visualizes South Carolina Coastal Zone and Critical Area boundaries, such as the coastal waters, tidelands, beaches, and beach/dunes systems that comprise the South Carolina coast. The StoryMap also highlights services, products and tools provided by the program, including databases and maps for public beach access, beach erosion monitoring, beach renourishment, beachfront jurisdictional lines and coastal hazard vulnerability.

  *Note: These publications must be downloaded to open. Click on the PDF file to download and view.

View previous winners of the South Carolina Notable Documents Awards.