- Finalist, New Millennium Writings, 2023
- Desert Chrome shortlisted for the 2022 Sarton Award
- Finalist, Terrain.org‘s 13th annual nonfiction contest, 2022
- Desert Chrome WINS the 2022 Colorado Book Award in Creative Nonfiction
- Desert Chrome wins a 2022 Silver Nautilus Book Award in Memoir & Personal Journey
- Desert Chrome wins the 2022 National Indie Excellence Award in Regional Nonfiction: West
- Finalist, Colorado Book Awards, Creative Nonfiction, 2022
- Finalist, Ellen Meloy Fund Desert Writers Award, 2022
- Finalist, Best Book Awards, Animals/Pets: Narrative Nonfiction and Nonfiction: Creative, 2021
- The Best American Essays 2021 Notable Essay
- PEN Literary Award nomination for Desert Chrome, 2021
- Runner-up, Fugue‘s Kim Barnes Prize, 2021
- Finalist, Whitefish Review, Montana Prize for Fiction, 2021
- Pushcart Prize nomination, 2020
- Winner, New Millennium Writings Musepaper Essay Prize, 2019
- Finalist, Ellen Meloy Fund Desert Writers Award, 2019
- Finalist, Waterston Desert Writing Prize, 2018
- The Best American Essays 2016 Notable Essay
- Finalist, Crab Orchard Review’s Rafael Torch Literary Nonfiction Award, 2016
- Finalist, Crab Orchard Review‘s Rafael Torch Literary Nonfiction Award, 2016
- Finalist, Ellen Meloy Fund Desert Writers Award, 2016
- Writer-in-Residence, Denali National Park and Preserve Artist-in-Residence program, Winter 2016
- Runner-up, bosque fiction prize, 2015
- Finalist, Southern Indiana Review Thomas A. Wilhelmus Editors’ Award, 2014
- Finalist, River Teeth, 2014
- Honorable Mention, New Millennium Writings, 2014
- Partial Fellowship, Summer Literary Seminars, 2014 (for two pieces)
- Honorable Mention, New Millennium Writings, 2013
- Second Place Winner, Tiny Lights Personal Essay Contest, 2012
- Finalist, Summer Literary Seminars Unified Literary Contest, 2012
- Elliot Cades Award nomination, 2011
- Finalist, Writers@Work Fiction Competition 2010
- Finalist, Richard J. Margolis Award of the Blue Mountain Center, 2009
- Finalist, Dana Award for the Novel, 2009
- Finalist, Southern Indiana Review Mary C. Mohr Nonfiction Award, 2009
- The Best American Essays 2009 Notable Essay
- Winner, Fourth Genre’s Editor’s Prize for Best Essay/Memoir, 2007
- Finalist, Ellen Meloy Fund Desert Writers Award, 2007
- Finalist, The Bear Deluxe Edward Abbey Fiction Award, 1999
- Honorable Mention for the Heekin Group Foundation Juvenile Novel In Progress, 1998
- Winner, Sierra magazine’s Write on the Wild Side competition, 1997
- Honorable Mention, Writer’s Digest Writing Competition, 1996
- Finalist, Spur Storyteller Award, 1995
- Finalist, Write on the Wild Side competition, Sierra, 1995
- Pushcart Prize nomination, 1994
- Western Heritage Award nomination, 1994