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PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

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The PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award is awarded by the PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) for writing that exemplifies literary excellence on the subject of physical and biological sciences.[1] The award includes a cash prize of $10,000.[2]

The award was founded by scientist and author Dr. Edward O. Wilson, activist and actor Harrison Ford, and the E. O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation.[2] The award was inaugurated in 2011.[3]

Examples of published works that exemplify the quality of writing the award is designed to acknowledge include Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) and James Watson's The Double Helix (1969), which contribute 'to the public’s understanding of scientific principles at work in the world today.'[2]

The award is one of many PEN awards sponsored by International PEN affiliates in over 145 PEN centers around the world. The PEN American Center awards have been characterized as being among the "major" American literary prizes.[4]

Award winners

[edit]
PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award winners and runners-up
Year Author Title Result Ref.
2011 Siddhartha Mukherjee The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer Winner [5][6][7]
David Abram Becoming Animal Runner-up [5][6]
2012 James Gleick The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood Winner [8][9][7][10]
Donovan Hohn Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them Runner-up [8][9][11]
2013 Leonard Mlodinow Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior Winner [12][13][7]
David G. Haskell The Forest Unseen Runner-up [12][13]
2014 Carl Hart High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society Winner [14][15][7]
2015 Joshua Horwitz War of the Whales: A True Story Winner [16][17][7]
2016 Lauren Redniss Thunder & Lightning: Weather Past, Present, Future Winner [18][7]
Cynthia Barnett Rain: A Natural and Cultural History Shortlist [19]
Joel K. Bourne Jr. The End of Plenty: The Race to Feed a Crowded World Shortlist [19]
Tom Clynes The Boy Who Played with Fusion: Extreme Science, Extreme Parenting, and How to Make a Star Shortlist [19]
Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe Island on Fire: The Extraordinary Story of a Forgotten Volcano That Changed the World Shortlist [19]
2017 Luke Dittrich Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets Winner [7][20]
Dan Flores Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History Shortlist [21][20]
Julian Guthrie How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of a Private Spaceflight Shortlist [21][20]
Hope Jahren Lab Girl Shortlist [21][20]
Emily Voigt The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World’s Most Coveted Fish Shortlist [21][20]
2018 Lindsey Fitzharris The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Winner [22][23][24][25][7]
David Baron American Eclipse: A Nation’s Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World Shortlist [26]
David Montgomery Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life Shortlist [26]
Ron Powers No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America Shortlist [26]
Robert Sapolsky Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst Shortlist [26]
2019 Ben Goldfarb Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter Winner [27][7]
Vince Beiser The World in a Grain Shortlist [28]
Andrea Buchanan The Beginning of Everything Shortlist [28]
Lauren Slater Blue Dreams: The Science and the Story of the Drugs that Changed Our Minds Shortlist [28]
Carl Zimmer She Has Her Mother’s Laugh Shortlist [28]
2020 Frans de Waal Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves Winner [29][7]
Patricia S. Churchland Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition Shortlist [30][31]
Elizabeth Hennessy On the Backs of Tortoises: Darwin, the Galapagos, and the Fate of an Evolutionary Eden Shortlist [30]
Dahr Jamail The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption Shortlist [30]
Nathaniel Rich Losing Earth: A Recent History Shortlist [30]
2021 Jonathan C. Slaght Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl Winner [7][32]
Jennifer Ackerman The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think Shortlist [33][34]
Rebecca Giggs Fathoms: The World in the Whale Shortlist [33][34]
Emily Levesque The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers Shortlist [33][34]
Sonia Shah The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move Shortlist [33][34]
2022 Catherine Raven Fox & I: An Uncommon Friendship Winner [35][36][7]
Lauren Aguirre The Memory Thief: And the Secrets Behind What We Remember — A Medical Mystery Shortlist [7][37][36]
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred Shortlist [7][37][36]
Lisa Wells Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World Shortlist [7][37][36]
Carl Zimmer Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive Shortlist [7][37][36]
2023 Florence Williams Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey Winner [38]
Rachel E. Gross Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage Shortlist [39]
David George Haskell Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution's Creativity, and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction Shortlist [39]
Manil Suri The Big Bang of Numbers: How to Build the Universe Using Only Math Shortlist [39]

References

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  1. ^ PEN American Center Literary Awards Archived 2012-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c Hank Campbell (October 15, 2010). ""Literary" $10,000 science writing award to be backed by Edward O. Wilson". Science2.0. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  3. ^ "Harrison Ford in town to promote conservation". The San Francisco Examiner. October 15, 2010. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  4. ^ Alfred Bendixen (2005). "Literary Prizes and Awards". The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 689. ISBN 9780826417770. Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  5. ^ a b "PEN American Center's 2011 award winners". LA Times. August 11, 2011. Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "2011 PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". PEN America. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". PEN America. 2020-06-09. Archived from the original on 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  8. ^ a b Julie Bosman (August 29, 2012). "PEN American Center Announces Literary Awards". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "2012 PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". pen.org. 14 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  10. ^ "PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Winner Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  11. ^ Laurie Hertzel (August 28, 2012). "PEN literary awards announced". StarTribune. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Carolyn Kellogg (August 14, 2013). "Jacket Copy: PEN announces winners of its 2013 awards". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  13. ^ a b "2013 PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". PEN America. 25 July 2013. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  14. ^ Ron Charles (July 30, 2014). "Winners of the 2014 PEN Literary Awards". Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  15. ^ "2014 PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". pen.org. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  16. ^ Carolyn Kellogg (May 13, 2015). "PEN announces award-winners and shortlists". LA Times. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  17. ^ "2015 PEN Literary Award Winners". pen.org. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  18. ^ "2016 PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". PEN America. 2015-11-05. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  19. ^ a b c d "2016 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Shortlist Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  20. ^ a b c d e Tubb, Nathaniel (2017-01-18). "2017 PEN/E. O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD". PEN America. Archived from the original on 2022-12-08. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  21. ^ a b c d "2017 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalists Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  22. ^ John Maher (February 21, 2018). "Long Soldier, Zhang, Le Guin Win At 2018 PEN Literary Awards". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  23. ^ "PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". Macmillan Library. Archived from the original on 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  24. ^ "The 2018 PEN America Literary Awards Winners". PEN America. February 20, 2018. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  25. ^ Porter Anderson (January 31, 2018). "Industry Notes: PEN America's Finalists". Publishing Perspectives. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  26. ^ a b c d "2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalists Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  27. ^ "2019 PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". E O Wilson Foundation. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  28. ^ a b c d "2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalists Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  29. ^ "Frans de Waal wins PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". Granta. Archived from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  30. ^ a b c d "2020 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalists Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  31. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Books: Best Sellers, Expert Recommendations & More". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  32. ^ Hertzel, Laurie (2021-04-08). "Minneapolis writers win PEN America literary awards". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  33. ^ a b c d "2021 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalists Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  34. ^ a b c d "Presenting the Finalists for the 2021 PEN America Literary Awards". The Paris Review. 2021-02-10. Archived from the original on 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  35. ^ "Catherine Raven wins the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award". Scribe Publications. Archived from the original on 2022-10-29. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  36. ^ a b c d e Smith, Eliza (2022-03-01). "Here are the winners of the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards". Literary Hub. Archived from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  37. ^ a b c d "2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalists Announced". E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-08-07. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  38. ^ Schaub, Michael (2023-03-03). "PEN Award Winners Announced". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  39. ^ a b c "Paperback, 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalists, 2023 PEN Literary Award Finalists". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
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