The News & Observer has received numerous awards from newspaper and journalism organizations, including the Pulitzer Prize gold medal for public service in 1996. The paper's earlier Pulitzers were awarded for criticism in 1989 and for commentary in 1983.

The N&O is consistently recognized by its peers as an excellent newspaper. In 1999, Columbia Journalism Review named The News & Observer America's 16th best newspaper.

April 2004: Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Best in Business Award

March 2004: Associated Press Sports Editors, Top Ten daily section; Top Ten Sunday section; Top Ten column; Top Ten game story

March 2004: National Press Photographers’ Best of Photojournalism, two first-place, online; first place, news; first place, multi-media; honorable mention, sports picture story; honorable mention, online

January 2004: NC Press Association Annual Competition, 17 awards, four firsts

April 2003: Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Best in Business Award

February 2003: Society for News Design, four awards

January 2003: NC Press Association Annual Competition, 22 awards, seven firsts

April 2002: Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Best in Business Award

February 2002: NC Associated Press Sports Editors, honorable mention

January 2002: NC Press Association Annual Competition, 21 awards, nine firsts

2002: Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards, third place

2002: National Headliner Awards, third place

2002: Association of Food Journalists, first place

September 2001: NC Associated Press Sam J. Ervin Award, staff investigation into Durham City Council municipal spending

September 2001: NC Associated Press Carl Bell Editing Award, Kathy Williams for “A Chance for Anna”

April 2001: Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Best in Business Award

February 2001: Editor & Publisher EPpy Award, best overall newspaper online service in the circulation category

February 2001: NC Associated Press Sports Editors, five awards

February 2001: NC Press Photographers Association, 15 awards, four first place

January 2001: Duke University Awards for Distinguished Journalism on Higher Education in North Carolina, Jane Stancill and Dan Kane, second place

January 2001: NC Press Association, 15 awards, five firsts

2001: American Association of Sunday and Features Editors, three awards, one first

October 2000: Youth Editors Association of America, Shantal Thompson, first place for sports column writing

May 2000: The Amy Foundation Writing Awards, Martha Van Der Linden (freelancer) for “Sole Survivors”

April 2000: The Education Writers Association, Tim Simmons for “Worlds Apart: The Racial Education Gap”

February 2000: NC Associated Press Sports Editors, two awards

February 2000: NC Press Association, 24 awards, 12 firsts

February 2000: Society for News Design, 10 awards, one Gold Medal

February 2000: NC Press Photographers Association, 11 awards, two firsts

January 2000: NC Press Association, 24 awards, 12 firsts

2000: American Association of Sunday and Features Editors, General Features, one award

October 1999: Associated Press Carl K. Bell Award for excellence in editing, Trish Wilson

October 1999: Associated Press Walter Spearman Award for young journalists

October 1999: American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, General Excellence, features department

October 1999: AASFE, Sarah Avery, first place in the short feature competition for the circulation category

October 1999: AASFE, Adrienne Johnson, first place in the criticism category

February 1999: American Society of Newspaper Editors, Distinguished Writing Award to Peder Zane for commentary

February 1999: AP Sports Editors “Triple Crown” for daily sections, Sunday sections and special sections

February 1999: Society for News Design, six Awards of Excellence

February 1999: NC Press Photographers Association, eight awards, three firsts

January 1999: NC Press Association, 23 awards, nine firsts, shared first in Public Service

1999: Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award for the circulation division, General Excellence

1999: Association of Food Journalists, first place

October 1998: Youth Editors Association of America, two awards for the Horizons monthly page for high school and college students

April 1998: Southern Short Course in News Photography, seven awards, Nikon Award (first place)

March 1998: AP Sports Editors “Triple Crown” for daily sections, Sunday sections and special sections and first in page design

January 1998: .NC Press Association, 21 awards, seven firsts

Pulitzer Prizes
1983, Commentary, Claude Sitton

1989, Criticism, Michael Skube, for his writing on books and other literary topics

1996, Public Service, Staff. For the work of Melanie Sill, Pat Stith and Joby Warrick on the environmental and health risks of waste disposal systems used in North Carolina's growing hog industry.