| 2025 | Life on a Little-Known Planet | The New Yorker Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Also Recommended | |
| 2024 | H Is for Hope | The New Yorker Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Also Recommended | |
| 2022 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky | Wainwright Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Writing on Global Conservation | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 10 Best Books | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2021 | Under A White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Esquire Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Favorite Books | |
| 2021 | Under A White Sky | The Globe and Mail Globe 100 source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Non-Fiction | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky | Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Science | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky | The Guardian Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Science | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Science & Technology | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Bill Gates' Summer and Holiday Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Books | |
| 2021 | Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Reading | |
| 2015 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and Memoir or Autobiography source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · General Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | The Sixth Extinction | PEN America Literary Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award | |
| 2015 | The Sixth Extinction | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Reading | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Los Angeles Times Book Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Science & Technology | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · General Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | Kirkus Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 10 Best Books | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Vulture / New York Magazine Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books: Top Ten | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | The Globe and Mail Globe 100 source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Non-Fiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | The Observer Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Science | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Science & Technology | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | The Economist Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Science and technology | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History | Bill Gates' Summer and Holiday Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Books | |
| 2014 | The Sixth Extinction | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top Ten | |
| 2007 | The Ends of the Earth | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Travel | |
| 2006 | Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change | The Globe and Mail Globe 100 source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Non-Fiction | |
| 2006 | Field Notes from a Catastrophe | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2006 | Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change | Amazon Editors' Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 50 | |