Phil Reed Writing Award

Contest Requirements

SELC's annual Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment seeks to enhance public awareness of the richness and vulnerability of the region’s natural heritage by giving special recognition to writers who most effectively tell the stories about the South’s environment.

There are two categories for entries: Journalism, for newspaper and magazine writing, and Book, for works of non-fiction, The primary judging criteria is the quality of writing. Prizes of $1,000 will be awarded to the winner in each of the Journalism and Book categories. Winners will be announced during the Virginia Festival of the Book, held each year in Charlottesville at the end of March.

For Reed Award 2009:

Entries must be published during 2008.
Minimum length of 3,000 words per entry. The awards will go to an individual writer, or will be split among two co-writers per entry. Submissions with more than two authors must indicate which two are being nominated, and each must meet the minimum word requirement.
Entries must relate to the natural resources in at least one of the following states: Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia.
Nominations can be made by anyone, including the author or publisher.
Entries must be received January 2, 2009.
Send multiple copies, one for each judge plus three extra for SELC (check back mid-October for specifics) - including at least one copy as it was published - to the address below. Submissions cannot be returned.
For Journalism entries, articles published as a series are accepted, as are collections of articles unrelated to one another, as long as each article pertains to the environment in one of the six Southeastern states mentioned above. The entry as a whole must meet the miniumum word length. Entires must be accompanied by a digital version (email or CD) to verify word length.

For more information contact:

Cathryn McCue
cmccue -at- selcva -dot- org
Communications Manager / Writing Award Administrator
Southern Environmental Law Center
201 West Main Street, Suite 14
Charlottesville, VA 22902-5065
(434) 977-4090