Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Awards
Carrying on a legacy.
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Awards recognize the best nature writing in adult nonfiction and children’s literature. Awards are announced each Spring, for the best books published during the prior calendar year. Established in 1991, the awards honor the literary legacy of Sigurd F. Olson by recognizing and encouraging contemporary writers who seek to carry on his tradition of nature writing. In 2004, organizers expanded the award to include children’s literature.
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2025 SONWA Winners
This outstanding book by one of our most gifted nature writers shows us that “rivers run through people as surely as they run through places.” If you already love rivers, you will love this book – and Is A RiverAlive? will ignite a passion in those who are not yet “rivered” to “find the current . . . [and] follow the flow.” Macfarlane writes about rivers and the rights of nature movement – which he brings to life through his experiences with conservationists, indigenous people, scientists, lawyers and jurists in endangered river systems in Ecuador, India and Canada -- and with his family around the springs and rivers near his home in England. |
Twelve-year-old Opal lives in the Gila National Forest of New Mexico where she is
training to become a fourth-generation wildfire spotter. When she is all alone, her mother on the long trek to town and her grandmother foraging in the forest, Opal spots the tell-tale spiral of smoke and knows she must gather enough courage and strength to face down the fire on her own. The Burning Season is a timely, generational story which spins an emotionally gripping climate change adventure. Caroline Starr Rose crafts her novel in verse, bringing the Gila wilderness to life and highlighting the sense of place Opal and her family have for their surroundings, much like the writings of Sigurd Olson. |
This moving true story introduces readers to Walnut, a white-naped crane raised by humans, and the carefully negotiated
bond she shares with her keeper, Chris Crowe. Through accessible storytelling and expressive illustrations, the book offers an endearing yet powerful exploration of perseverance, patience, and love, while inviting reflection on the complex relationship between humans and wildlife. The Children’s SONWA Committee is especially pleased to honor a story rooted close to home in Wisconsin, where cranes, conservation efforts, and Sigurd Olson’s legacy are deeply woven into the landscape. Walnut’s journey resonates in a state where many children grow up watching cranes rise from wetlands and cross open skies. Grounded in real conservation work, The Crane and the Keeper helps young readers understand both the challenges wildlife face and the responsibility humans share in protecting them, embodying the spirit of curiosity, empathy, and stewardship that is at the heart of Sigurd Olson’s legacy. |
2025 Honorable Mentions
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Adult Category
A Place on Water Peter D Nordgren Nordgren’s essays about the time his family spent living in A Place On Water brings us closer to the natural world by focusing on Northwoods flora and fauna in ways that are reminiscent of Sigurd Olson’s classic essays about the western Lake Superior region. This is a great little book that Sig would have loved. |
Children's Category
The Sacred Stone Camp Rae Rose This book combines lyrical prose and colorful art in presenting the story of the water protectors opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Black Snake, from the eyes of a young Indigenous child. It is the story of the intergenerational relationships and teaching of values that focus on kinship with “all of our relatives”- living and nonliving beings. It is a timely piece. Worldwide, the Indigenous Tribes have been at the forefront of bringing people of all color together in matters of socio/eco/climate justice. In telling this story of the Sacred Stone Camp on the confluence of several mighty riverways whose waters have supported life for eons, there is a message to youth of empowerment. Equally important, the story brings the needed element of hope in a time young people sense deeply the threats to water, the integrity of the earth itself and their very future. |
Young Adult Category
Candle Island Lauren Wolk This story paints a picture of healing, hope, and the need for nature and love as part of the human experience. It combines elements of poetry and art to showcase the importance of nature and creativity to the healing of human hearts and as a balm to the social and intrapersonal challenges of the world we live in. With elements of class conflict, ecological need, and personal responsibility, this story draws its readers into the almost magical world of Candle Island, Maine. |
2025 Good Read
Young Adult Category
The Vanishing of Lake Peingeur- Jose Pimienta
Action-packed, suspenseful, and almost too wild to believe, the true story of The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur by Allan Wolf entertains and educates about the human-caused disappearance of a Louisiana lake. This graphic novel pulls readers in thanks to the engaging illustrations of Jose Pimienta. The Lake Peigneur Texaco disaster is a real-life cautionary tale that demonstrates how human reliance on oil--- coupled with
neglect for the land--- can lead to catastrophic results to the environment and local communities. The twists and turns (and sinkhole vortex) of this book will captivate readers of all ages from start to finish.
The Vanishing of Lake Peingeur- Jose Pimienta
Action-packed, suspenseful, and almost too wild to believe, the true story of The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur by Allan Wolf entertains and educates about the human-caused disappearance of a Louisiana lake. This graphic novel pulls readers in thanks to the engaging illustrations of Jose Pimienta. The Lake Peigneur Texaco disaster is a real-life cautionary tale that demonstrates how human reliance on oil--- coupled with
neglect for the land--- can lead to catastrophic results to the environment and local communities. The twists and turns (and sinkhole vortex) of this book will captivate readers of all ages from start to finish.
2024 SONWA Winners
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Categories
Expand the categories below to learn how to enter and review the guidelines.
adult nonfiction literature
Criteria
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award is given to a published book of literary nonfiction nature writing that captures the spirit of the human relationship with the natural world and promotes values that preserve or restore the land for future generations. The literary work must:
The winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award receives a $1,000 cash prize.
Submission Due Date
Submissions can be made up to December 31, 2025. To enter, submit eight copies of your publication to:
SONWA
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
P.O. Box 151
Washburn WI 54891
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award is given to a published book of literary nonfiction nature writing that captures the spirit of the human relationship with the natural world and promotes values that preserve or restore the land for future generations. The literary work must:
- Hold a 2025 copyright
- Be written by a single author
The winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award receives a $1,000 cash prize.
Submission Due Date
Submissions can be made up to December 31, 2025. To enter, submit eight copies of your publication to:
SONWA
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
P.O. Box 151
Washburn WI 54891
Children's Literature
Criteria
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for children’s literature is given to a published book of nature writing—nonfiction or fiction—appropriate for children up to age fourteen. The book should capture the spirit of the human relationship with nature and promote awareness, preservation, appreciation, or restoration of the natural world for future generations. It must also:
The winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for children’s literature receives a $500 cash award. (If the winning book has an illustrator who is not the author, the illustrator will also receive a $500 award.)
Submission Due Date
Submissions can be made up to December 31, 2025. To enter, submit nine copies of your publication to:
SONWA
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
P.O. Box 151
Washburn WI 54891
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for children’s literature is given to a published book of nature writing—nonfiction or fiction—appropriate for children up to age fourteen. The book should capture the spirit of the human relationship with nature and promote awareness, preservation, appreciation, or restoration of the natural world for future generations. It must also:
- Hold a 2025 copyright
- Be written by a single author
The winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for children’s literature receives a $500 cash award. (If the winning book has an illustrator who is not the author, the illustrator will also receive a $500 award.)
Submission Due Date
Submissions can be made up to December 31, 2025. To enter, submit nine copies of your publication to:
SONWA
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
P.O. Box 151
Washburn WI 54891
Young Adult literature
Criteria
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for young adult literature is given to a published book of nature writing—nonfiction or fiction—appropriate for readers age thirteen and up. The book should capture the spirit of the human relationship with nature and promote awareness, preservation, appreciation, or restoration of the natural world for future generations. It must also:
· Hold a 2025 copyright
· Be written by a single author
The winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for children’s literature receives a $500 cash award. (If the winning book has an illustrator who is not the author, the illustrator will also receive a $500 award.)
Submission Due Date
Submissions can be made up to December 31, 2025. To enter, submit nine copies of your publication to:
SONWA
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
P.O. Box 151
Washburn WI 54891
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for young adult literature is given to a published book of nature writing—nonfiction or fiction—appropriate for readers age thirteen and up. The book should capture the spirit of the human relationship with nature and promote awareness, preservation, appreciation, or restoration of the natural world for future generations. It must also:
· Hold a 2025 copyright
· Be written by a single author
The winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for children’s literature receives a $500 cash award. (If the winning book has an illustrator who is not the author, the illustrator will also receive a $500 award.)
Submission Due Date
Submissions can be made up to December 31, 2025. To enter, submit nine copies of your publication to:
SONWA
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
P.O. Box 151
Washburn WI 54891
About the Awards
History
The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award (SONWA) was established in 1991 to both honor the memory and literary legacy of Sigurd F. Olson and help support and encourage the work of contemporary writers who seek to carry on his tradition of quality nature writing. Over the years, the award competition has attracted entries from the best nature writers in the nation. The writing award is presented annually to an author whose book best captures the spirit of the human relationship with the natural world and promotes Olson’s values.
The literary nonfiction award is made possible through individual donations and an endowment from Eileen Long, a former Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute Advisory Board member, who was instrumental in founding the SONWA.
The literary nonfiction award is made possible through individual donations and an endowment from Eileen Long, a former Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute Advisory Board member, who was instrumental in founding the SONWA.
supporting the awards
Donate to the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Awards Here!