The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Awards (SONWA), which honor the best in nature writing for adult and youth audiences. These awards recognize contemporary writers whose work echoes the literary legacy of Sigurd Olson and inspires readers to connect more deeply with the natural world.
In the adult category, Perennial Ceremony: Lessons and Gifts from a Dakota Garden by Teresa Peterson has received the top prize. Drawing from Indigenous traditions and her personal journey of healing and reconnection, Peterson offers lyrical reflections on gardening as a sacred practice—one that grounds, restores, and teaches. The book, praised by readers as “a contemporary version of Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden,” interweaves memoir, ecological wisdom, and recipes that celebrate Dakota lifeways and a perennial way of living.
“This is exactly the kind of work Olson himself would have cherished—writing that honors place, relationships, and a reverence for the living world,” said Evan Coulson, Associate Director of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.
Honorable mentions in the adult category were awarded to The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger—a groundbreaking exploration of plant intelligence—and Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion, a poetic invitation to rediscover awe in the natural night sky.
In the youth category, Angela’s Glacier by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Diana Sudyka, and Wild at Heart by Evan Griffith with illustrations by Anna Bron, were recognized as co-winners.
Angela’s Glacier tells the story of a girl’s evolving relationship with a glacier in Iceland—an ode to intergenerational connection, memory, and the quiet presence of the natural world. With lush, swirling artwork and prose that is both gentle and profound, the book reminds readers of the importance of listening—to the land, to each other, and to the changes reshaping our planet.
Wild at Heart introduces young readers to the real-life conservation work of Olaus and Mardy Murie, pioneers in American wilderness protection and central figures in the creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Their story of love, science, and advocacy is told with inspiring clarity, helping children understand that caring for the natural world begins with wonder and continues through action.
Honorable mentions in the youth category include Reasons to Look at the Night Sky by Danielle Daniel, a novel-in-verse blending Indigenous Sky Stories with science and self-discovery, and Happy Stories for Animal Lovers.
The Institute also selected several books as 2024 SONWA Good Reads, including How to Teach Grown-Ups About Climate Change by Patricia Daniels, Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest by Ranger Hamza Yassin, Sustainable Structures by Kate McMillan, and Farmer Eva’s Green Garden Life by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. These titles offer approachable, hopeful pathways for young readers to engage in environmental awareness and stewardship.
Since 1991, the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award has honored writers whose work embodies Olson’s enduring belief in the power of story to awaken ecological consciousness. Olson, a renowned conservationist and author of The Singing Wilderness, believed deeply in the spiritual and emotional connections that tie humans to nature—a conviction that continues to guide the Institute’s work.
“As the environmental challenges we face grow more urgent, the voices of today’s nature writers remind us not only what we must protect, but why,” Coulson said. “This year’s winning books do just that—with honesty, insight, and beauty.”
To learn more about SONWA and past award winners, visit northland.edu/sonwa.
