The Leif Erikson Awards, sometimes referred to as the Exploration Awards, are awarded annually by the Exploration Museum in Húsavík, Iceland, for achievements in exploration and for work in the field of exploration history. 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 Leif Erikson Awards are the main and final event of the annual Húsavík Explorers Festival. They were first awarded in 2015.
The awards are named for Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson, considered as the first European to land in North America 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.
Scientific Committee The winners of the Leif Erikson awards are voted by the members of the Exploration Museum's Scientific Committee. 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.
Recipients The 2015 Leif Erikson Awards were announced by the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, on 9 July at the Reykjavík University Auditorium. 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. 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. The 2019 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by Exploration Museum founder Orly Orlyson, on 19 October at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík. 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.
Year Award Winner Occupation Nationality Rationale 2015Leif Erikson Award Harrison Schmitt Apollo 17 astronaut American 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 Young Explorer Award Jessica Watson Sailor Australian For completing a non-stop and unassisted southern hemisphere solo circumnavigation of the world at the age of 16 Exploration History Award Huw Lewis-Jones Author and historian British For his writings on visual culture, seafaring, polar exploration, mountaineering, and remote environments 2016 Leif Erikson Award Scott Parazynski Astronaut and mountaineer American 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 Young Explorer Award Tashi and Nungshi Malik Mountaineers Indian 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 Exploration History Award Draken Harald Hårfagre Crew and builders Norwegian For their expedition to retrace the first trans-Atlantic crossing and the Viking discovery of the New World Social Media Award Chris Burkard Photographer American For his work as an adventure photographer 2017 Leif Erikson Award Edurne Pasaban Mountaineer Spanish For becoming the first woman to climb all of the 14 eight-thousander peaks in the world between 2001 and 2010 Young Explorer Award Alex Bellini Sailor Italian 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 through the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and he spent 294 days traversing the through the Pacific Exploration History Award Haraldur Sigurðsson Volcanologist Icelandic 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 2018 Leif Erikson Award Clive Oppenheimer Volcanologist British For his 13 field seasons investigating Mount Erebus, the most active volcano in Antarctica Young Explorer Award Jade Hameister Photographer, biologist, and author Australian For being the youngest person in history to achieve the "polar hat-trick" skiing to the poles and crossing the Greenland icecap Exploration History Award Cristina Mittermeier Photographer, biologist, and author Mexican For her significant literary and photography works on environmental issues and the relationship between human cultures and biodiversity 2019 Leif Erikson Award Carolyn Porco Planetary scientist American 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. Young Explorer Award Barbara Zangerl Rock climber Austrian For her achievements in rock climbing Exploration History Award Ben Feist Software engineer and historian Canadian For his commitment to digitizing and communicating the achievements of NASA's Apollo program to a new generation Lunar Prize China National Space Administration (National space agency of China) Chinese 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 Leif Erikson Award George Kourounis Explorer Greek-Canadian For exploring and documenting extreme natural events and for documenting many forms of severe weather, including tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, floods, hail, and lightning Young Explorer Award Ulyana Horodyskyj Glaciologist and geologist American For field work in the arctic and for her work as a science communicator Exploration History Award Jeff Blumenfeld Author American For his 26-year work in documenting exploration history as the editor of Expedition News Lunar Prize Skyrora (Spaceflight company) Scottish For their work in developing high-grade rocket fuel made from waste plastics, designed to minimize the environmental impact of rocket launches 2021 Leif Erikson Award Will Steger Polar explorer and preservation advocate American 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. Young Explorer Award Belén Garcia Ovide Marine biologist and wildlife guide American for her work in promoting ocean protection through exploration and citizen science Exploration History Award J. Robert Harris Author American for his lifetime of exploration, as well as his tireless efforts to promote diversity in exploration. 2022 Leif Erikson Award Kathy Sullivan Geologist, oceanographer and astronaut American for her lifetime of exploration for science Young Explorer Award Dominique Gonçalves Ecologist Mozambican for her work on elephant conservation in Gorongosa National Park. Exploration History Award Geoff Green Expedition leader Canadian for his work on polar education and youth engagement 2023Leif Erikson AwardBill AndersAstronautAmericanfor his iconic photograph “Earthrise"Young Explorer AwardKellie GerardiScience communicatorAmericanpioneering work in bioastronautics research and spacesuit evaluationExploration History AwardLibby JacksonMission controller and authorBritishpreserving the history of female astronauts and space professionals Lunar Prize Indian Space Research Organisation (National space agency of India) Indian for the Chandrayaan-3 mission 2024Leif Erikson AwardRusty SchweickartAstronautAmericanfor pioneering work and advocacy have inspired generations of explorers and scientists.Young Explorer AwardNima Rinji SherpaNepaleseMountaineerthe youngest person to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaksExploration History AwardSpace Hipsters(online community)–dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of space exploration
Explorers Festival 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.
See also The Exploration Museum The Astronaut Monument List of geography awards
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