About the Awards

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 to help support and encourage the work of those 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 with books focusing on topics that help us to connect with the natural world. 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 award recipient receives a $1,000 cash prize and an invitation to visit Northland College for an award ceremony and reading. Interactions at these readings between authors and Northland College students, area residents, and environmental artists are invaluable to the Chequamegon Bay region, literary and arts community, and educational experience at Northland College. At the College, we see these interactions as positive, proactive, and meaningful ways of sharing messages of environmental appreciation and respect with the region. The winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing for Children's Literature, established in 2004, receives a $500 cash prize to be split equally between the author and illustrator.

The literary nonfiction award is made possible through individual donations and an endowment from Eileen Long, former Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute Advisory Board member, who was instrumental in founding the SONWA. If you would like to support this program, please send your gift to Northland College, SONWA, Attn: Paula Bonk, 1411 Ellis Avenue, Ashland, WI 54806. If you would like to support the children's writing award, please send your gift to Northland College, SONWA for Children's Literature, Attn: Paula Kalmon, 1411 Ellis Avenue, Ashland, WI 54806.