2026 Reed Environmental Writing Award: Event Registration: In-person event SOLD OUT
Join us for the 2026 Reed Award ceremony. You’re invited to celebrate this year’s winners with us virtually.
Join us virtually, as our in-person event has now SOLD OUT, for the 2026 Reed Award ceremony, held in honor of the winners during the Virginia Festival of the Book. This free event will be held at 5 p.m. on March 20, in the CODE Building, located at 225 West Water Street on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Va, and will be live-streamed for those who register as virtual guests.
Free copy of the winning book to the first 400 registrants—while supplies last.
In-person registrants will receive a free book at the event; copies will be mailed to the first 400 virtual registrants—available while supplies last.
This year’s event will celebrate the winners: Catherine Coleman Flowers, who will discuss her book, Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope, and Lindsey Liles from Garden & Gun, who will present insights from her story, “Inside the Fight to Save the World’s Most Endangered Wolf.”
Through their work, winners Catherine Coleman Flowers and Lindsey Liles demonstrate the power of writing to capture some of the most important environmental issues facing Southern communities.
Catherine Coleman Flowers is an internationally recognized environmental activist, MacArthur “genius” grant recipient and author. She has dedicated her life’s work to advocating for environmental justice, primarily equal access to clean water and functional sanitation for communities across the United States. Founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ), Flowers has spent her career promoting equal access to clean water, air, sanitation and soil to reduce health and economic disparities in marginalized, rural communities.
Lindsey Liles is an environmental journalist based in Charleston, South Carolina. After completing degrees in biology and English literature from Sewanee: The University of the South, a master’s in literature from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, and a Fulbright grant in Brazil, she joined Garden & Gun in 2020. As a staff writer, she covers all aspects of Southern culture but specializes in wildlife and conservation.
2026 Reed Award Featured Speaker
Our keynote speaker this year is Christian Cooper, an Emmy Award-winning host and the NY Times bestselling author of Better Living Through Birding. Known for his work as the host of National Geographic’s Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper, he brings his lifelong passion for birding and environmental advocacy to a wide audience.
A former president of the Harvard Ornithological Club and current vice president of the New York City Bird Alliance, Christian champions safe, accessible green spaces and engages underserved communities in the joys of birdwatching.
As a speaker, Christian captivates audiences with his unique blend of passion for nature, activism, and storytelling. He has spoken at prestigious institutions like the 92nd Street Y, Drexel University, and Swarthmore College, as well as major events such as The Biggest Week in American Birding Festival. He was also one of the few non-scientists to give the keynote speech to the annual meeting of the American Ornithological Society, the governing body for scientists in the field of bird study. (Photo credit: John Labbé)
Reed Award Event Registration
When you register for this event, you will be added to SELC’s communications list to receive information about the Reed Award, periodic updates on our work and important information about environmental news impacting the South.
Thank you and we look forward to celebrating our winners with you. Those unable to attend in-person can stream the award ceremony online through a link provided ahead of the event.