In honor and memory of the Tony Kleese, we issue an annual award to a plant breeder doing awesome work in the Southeast. The award offers a cash prize and a media component to continue the work of elevating and spotlighting the important work of plant breeders.
Anyone can nominate a plant breeder for this award (self nominations are also accepted). The award recipients are selected by the Executive Director and Board of The Utopian Seed Project based upon the following criteria:
2020 Tony Kleese Award
2019 Tony Kleese Award
2018 Tony Kleese Award