Reed Environmental Writing Award
Congratulations to our 2023 Reed Award winners.
Through their work, winners Corban Addison and Isabelle Chapman demonstrate the power of writing to capture some of the most important environmental issues facing Southern communities.

Our 2023 Reed Award Keynote Speaker

Heather McTeer Toney, award-winning speaker, respected author, and expert on environmental and climate justice issues, will be this year’s featured speaker. In McTeer Toney’s upcoming book, “Before the Streetlights Come On: Black America’s Urgent Call for Climate Solutions” — scheduled to be released on April 17 in time for Earth Day — Toney discusses the disproportionate impact of climate change on the Black community and why those most affected by climate change are best suited to lead the movement for climate justice.
Look back at the past winners of the Reed Environmental Writing Award.
About the Award
In the long, proud tradition of southern literature, writers have often drawn on the region’s unique natural treasures for inspiration and insight—from the haunting cypress swamps of Georgia to the tall mountains of western North Carolina to the rolling fields of the Virginia piedmont. As the South grows and changes, writers are increasingly exploring our relationship with these natural riches and the challenges they face in this time of transition, and SELC’s Reed Environmental Writing Award honors the best of these storytellers.