| 2024 | Prophet | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Fiction | |
| 2023 | Prophet | New York Public Library Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books for Adults | |
| 2021 | Vesper Flights | Wainwright Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Longlist · Nature Writing | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Science & Technology | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 10 Best Books | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · 100 Must-Read | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights: New and Collected Essays | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | The Telegraph Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights: New and Collected Essays | New York Public Library Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books for Adults | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights: New and Collected Essays | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books: Top 20 | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Literary non-fiction | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | The Guardian Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nature | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2020 | Vesper Flights | BookPage Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | H Is for Hawk | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | H Is for Hawk | Barack Obama's Favorite Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Summer Reading | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Autobiography | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Kirkus Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H is for Hawk | Wainwright Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Nature Writing | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books: Science | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Vogue Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | H is for Hawk | Chicago Tribune Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books: Top Ten | |
| 2015 | H Is For Hawk | NPR Books We Love source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books We Love | |
| 2015 | H is for Hawk | The Globe and Mail Globe 100 source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Non-Fiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | The Boston Globe Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H is for Hawk | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Amazon Editors' Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 10 | |
| 2015 | H Is for Hawk | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top Ten | |
| 2014 | H Is for Hawk | Costa Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Biography | |
| 2014 | H Is for Hawk | Costa Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Book of the Year | |
| 2014 | H Is for Hawk | Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Non-Fiction | |
| 2014 | H Is for Hawk | Waterstones Book of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Book of the Year | |
| 2014 | H is for Hawk | The Economist Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Biography and memoir | |
| 2014 | H is for Hawk | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Literary Non-Fiction | |
| 2014 | H Is for Hawk | The Guardian Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nature | |