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Leif Erikson Awards

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Leif Erikson Awards
The Exploration Awards
Awarded forachievements in exploration and for work in the field of exploration history.
LocationHúsavík
CountryIceland
Websiteexplorationmuseum.com

The Leif Erikson Awards, sometimes referred to as the Exploration Awards,[1] are awarded annually by the Exploration Museum in Húsavík, Iceland, for achievements in exploration and for work in the field of exploration history.[2] They are awarded in three categories; to an explorer for a lifetime achievement in exploration; to a young explorer under the age of 35 for achievements in exploration; and to a person or an organization that has worked to promote and preserve exploration history.

The awards ceremony takes place annually in Húsavík. The Leif Erikson Awards are the main and final event of the annual Húsavík Explorers Festival. They were first awarded in 2015.[3]

The awards are named for Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, considered as the first European to land in North America[4] and who, according to the Sagas of Icelanders, established the first Norse settlement at Vinland, tentatively identified with the Norse L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland in modern-day Canada.

Two former Presidents of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, have presented the awards.[5]

Scientific Committee

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The winners of the Leif Erikson awards are voted by the members of the Exploration Museum's Scientific Committee.[6] The committee is appointed for one year by the board of the museum, except for the chairperson, who is the winner of the previous year's Exploration History Award.[7][8][9]

Recipients

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The 2015 Leif Erikson Awards were announced by the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, on 9 July at the Reykjavík University Auditorium.[10][11] The 2016 Leif Erikson Awards were announced by the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, on 22 October at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík. The 2017 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by BBC World News Anchor Babita Sharma, on 23 September at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík.[12] The 2018 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by Around the world pilot and News Anchor Amelia Rose Earhart, on 23 September at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík.[13] The 2019 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by Exploration Museum founder Orly Orlyson, on 19 October at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík.[14][15] The 2020 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by Exploration Museum founder Orly Orlyson, on 15 August via a live-stream from the Explorers Festival in Húsavík.[16]

Year Winner Nationality Occupation Award Rationale Ref.
2015 Harrison Schmitt American Apollo 17 astronaut Leif Erikson Award For his scientific work on the surface of the Moon in 1972 and for his part in the geology training of the astronauts that walked on the Moon before him [17]
2015 Jessica Watson Australian Sailor Young Explorer Award For completing a non-stop and unassisted southern hemisphere solo circumnavigation of the world at the age of 16 [18][19]
2015 Huw Lewis-Jones British Author and historian Exploration History Award For his writings on visual culture, seafaring, polar exploration, mountaineering, and remote environments [20]
2016 Scott Parazynski American Astronaut and mountaineer Leif Erikson Award For his lifetime of exploration, as a veteran of five Space Shuttle flights and seven spacewalks, and as the only astronaut to have summited Mount Everest [21]
2016 Tashi and Nungshi Malik Indian Mountaineers Young Explorer Award For being the youngest persons, at the date, to have completed the Last Degree Explorers Grand Slam, at the age of 23. First siblings and twins to climb the Seven Summits and reach both Poles [22]
2016 Draken Harald Hårfagre Norwegian Crew and builders Exploration History Award For their expedition to retrace the first trans-Atlantic crossing and the Viking discovery of the New World [23]
2016 Chris Burkard American Photographer Social Media Award For his work as an adventure photographer [24]
2017 Edurne Pasaban Spanish Mountaineer Leif Erikson Award For becoming the first woman to climb all of the 14 eight-thousander peaks in the world between 2001 and 2010 [25]
2017 Alex Bellini Italian Sailor Young Explorer Award For crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans on a rowing boat, solo, within the age of 30. It took him 227 days to cover 11,000 kilometres (6,800 mi) through the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and he spent 294 days traversing the 18,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) through the Pacific [26]
2017 Haraldur Sigurðsson Icelandic Volcanologist Exploration History Award For his scientific commitment and writings on volcanology. He has carried out research on the Santorini volcano since 1975. His volcanic research also includes work on the famous eruption of Vesuvius in Italy in 79 AD, which buried Pompeii and Herculaneum [27]
2018 Clive Oppenheimer British Volcanologist Leif Erikson Award For his 13 field seasons investigating Mount Erebus, the most active volcano in Antarctica
2018 Jade Hameister Australian Photographer, biologist, and author Young Explorer Award For being the youngest person in history to achieve the "polar hat-trick" skiing to the poles and crossing the Greenland icecap
2018 Cristina Mittermeier Mexican Photographer, biologist, and author Exploration History Award For her significant literary and photography works on environmental issues and the relationship between human cultures and biodiversity [28]
2019 Carolyn Porco American Planetary scientist Leif Erikson Award Fr her 35 years of exploration of the outer Solar System, she was a member of the imaging team for the Voyager program and took part in the first exploration of the outer Solar System.
2019 Barbara Zangerl Australian Rock climber Young Explorer Award For her achievements in rock climbing
2019 Ben Feist Canadian Software engineer and historian Exploration History Award For his commitment to digitizing and communicating the achievements of NASA's Apollo program to a new generation
2019 China National Space Administration Chinese (National space agency of China) Lunar Prize For humanity's first soft landing on the far side of the Moon, on 3 January 2019. The award was accepted by Jin Zhijian, the Chinese Ambassador to Iceland
2020 George Kourounis Greek-Canadian Explorer Leif Erikson Award For exploring and documenting extreme natural events and for documenting many forms of severe weather, including tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, floods, hail, and lightning
2020 Ulyana Horodyskyj American Glaciologist and geologist Young Explorer Award For field work in the arctic and for her work as a science communicator
2020 Jeff Blumenfeld American Author Exploration History Award For his 26-year work in documenting exploration history as the editor of Expedition News
2020 Skyrora Scottish (Spaceflight company) Lunar Prize For their work in developing high-grade rocket fuel made from waste plastics, designed to minimize the environmental impact of rocket launches [29]
2021 Will Steger American Polar explorer and preservation advocate Leif Erikson Award for his lifetime of exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic, and for his tireless efforts to promote preservation of these important regions of the world. [30]
2021 Belén Garcia Ovide American Marine biologist and wildlife guide Young Explorer Award for her work in promoting ocean protection through exploration and citizen science [31]
2021 J. Robert Harris American Author Exploration History Award for his lifetime of exploration, as well as his tireless efforts to promote diversity in exploration. [32]
2022 Kathy Sullivan American Geologist, oceanographer and astronau Leif Erikson Award for her lifetime of exploration for science [33]
2022 Dominique Gonçalves Mozambican Ecologist Young Explorer Award for her work on elephant conservation in Gorongosa National Park. [34]
2022 Geoff Green Canadian Expedition leader Exploration History Award for his work on polar education and youth engagement [35]
2023 Indian Space Research Organisation Indian Lunar Exploration Scientific Research Award ISRO’s indomitable spirit in advancing lunar exploration & contributing to understanding celestial mysteries #Chandrayaan3.First lunar spacecraft to land on the South Pole. [36]

Explorers Festival

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The Leif Erikson Awards are the main event of the annual Húsavík Explorers Festival. The festival was first held in 2015 with events in Húsavík and Reykjavík. The format of the festival took shape in 2016 and has stayed the same since, with the festival consisting of short expeditions and outdoor activities around Húsavík, young explorers workshops, talks by explorers, concerts, film screenings and art exhibitions.[37][38]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Giuditta Gubbi & Francesco Perini (11 November 2015). "The Exploration Awards". The Exploration Museum. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  2. ^ Gabriele Schneider (24 November 2015). "Leifur-Eirikson-Entdeckerpreise verliehen" (in German). Iceland Review. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  3. ^ Francesco Benigni (16 November 2015). "Esplorazione spaziale, due jesini nella commissione dei "Leif Erikson Awards"" (in Italian). Ancona Today. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  4. ^ Sverrir Jakobsson (14 July 2001). "Vísindavefurinn: Var Leifur Eiríksson ekki Grænlendingur sem átti rætur að rekja til Íslands og Noregs?" (in Icelandic). Visindavefur.hi.is. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. ^ "10 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Leif Erikson". The Dockyards. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. ^ "The Exploration Museum's Scientific Committee". The Exploration Museum. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  7. ^ Sigurður Bogi Sævarsson (11 November 2015). "Hlutu Könnunarverðlaun Leifs Eiríkssonar" (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  8. ^ "2015 Leif Erikson Awards – Press conference". The Exploration Museum. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  9. ^ Charles Gittins (23 November 2015). "The Leif Erikson Exploration Awards". Iceland Monitor. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  10. ^ Vala Hafstad (22 November 2015). "Leif Erikson Exploration Awards Presented". Iceland Review. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  11. ^ Pétursson, Heimir Már (9 July 2015). "The moon smells like Gunpowder (Icelandic)". 365 Media. Channel 2. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Babita Sharma to present Leif Erikson Awards in Húsavík". Húsavík Observer. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Babita Sharma to present Leif Erikson Awards in Húsavík". Húsavík Observer. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  14. ^ "Húsavík Explorers Festival". Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Húsavík Explorers Festival". Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  16. ^ "World Explorers Awarded at Húsavík Explorers Festival". Húsavík Observer. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Astronaut Harrison Schmitt awarded the Leif Erikson Exploration Award". The Exploration Museum. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  18. ^ "Jessica Watson awarded the Leif Erikson Young Explorer Award". The Exploration Museum. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  19. ^ AP (21 August 2010). "14-Year-Old Sets Sail to Circle the Globe". New York Times. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  20. ^ "Dr. Huw Lewis-Jones awarded the Leif Erikson Exploration History Award". The Exploration Museum. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  21. ^ Smala, Signe (21 November 2016). "Exploring Exploration: The Explorers Festival Comes To Húsavík". Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  22. ^ Sharma, Nihi (29 October 2016). "Everest twins bag Leif Erikson Explorer Award in Iceland". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  23. ^ "American astronaut, modern Norwegian vikings and Indian twin climbers win exploration awards". Húsavík Observer. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  24. ^ "Our events". Explorers Festival. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  25. ^ "Mountaineer Edurne Pasaban awarded Leif Erikson Exploration Award". Húsavík Observer. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  26. ^ "Leif Erikson Exploration Awards". Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  27. ^ Hreiðarsson, Hafþór (23 September 2017). "Climbed all highest mountains in 9 years". Morgunblaðið.
  28. ^ "Mittermeier boycotts award ceremony in Húsavík to protest hunting of endangered whales". Husavik Observer. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  29. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  30. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  31. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  32. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  33. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  34. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  35. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  36. ^ "The Exploration Museum".
  37. ^ "Explorers Festival to be held in Iceland". Iceland Monitor. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  38. ^ Ward, Charley (2 November 2017). "Húsavík Explorers Festival 2017: Through Fire And Ice". Reykjavík Grapevine. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
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