The Pittsburgh-based Heinz Family Foundation has announced the recipients of the fifteenth annual Heinz Awards, among the largest prizes for individual achievement in the world.

Established in 1993 to honor Sen. John Heinz (R-PA), who was killed in a plane crash in 1991, the awards have recognized significant accomplishments in each of five areas that were important to him: arts and humanities; environment; the human condition; public policy; and technology, the economy, and employment. This year, however, the family foundation chose to specifically honor Sen. Heinz's commitment to the environment by awarding $100,000 prizes to ten individuals — rather than $250,000 to five individuals — whose achievements have helped bring about a cleaner, more sustainable planet.

This year's awardees are Robert Berkebile, founder of the American Institute of Architects' National Committee on the Environment; P. Dee Boersma, the Wadsworth Endowed Chair in Conservation Studies at the University of Washington; Christopher B. Field, the founding director of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution for Science; Ashok Gadgil, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley; Chip Giller, founder of Grist magazine; Deborah Rice, toxicologist at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental, and Occupational Health; Joel Salatin, author, lecturer, and farmer at Polyface Farm; Kirk R. Smith, professor of Global Environmental Health at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health; Thomas Smith, director of the Texas office of Public Citizen; and Beverly H. Wright, founder and executive director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University.

"At this unique time in history, when the environment is more important than ever to our lives, our economy, our national security, and our future, it is only fitting that we focus exclusively on this critical topic," said Heinz Family Foundation chairman Teresa Heinz. "These awards honor those guardians of our future who value our natural resources, work to remove toxic chemicals from our air and water, and create policies and the new technology that will ensure a sustainable planet for generations to come. In highlighting the work of some of our country's most thoughtful, innovative, and creative individuals, we are pleased to shine a deserving spotlight on their extraordinary achievements."