# Leif Erikson Awards

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 |
| 2015 | Leif 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 |
| 2015 | 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 |
| 2015 | 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 |
| 2016 | 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 |
| 2016 | 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 |
| 2016 | 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 |
| 2017 | 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 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 |
| 2017 | 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 |
| 2018 | 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 |
| 2018 | 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. |
| 2019 | Young Explorer Award | Barbara Zangerl | Rock climber | Australian | For her achievements in rock climbing |
| 2019 | 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 |
| 2019 | 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 |
| 2020 | Young Explorer Award | Ulyana Horodyskyj | Glaciologist and geologist | American | For field work in the arctic and for her work as a science communicator |
| 2020 | Exploration History Award | Jeff Blumenfeld | Author | American | For his 26-year work in documenting exploration history as the editor of Expedition News |
| 2020 | 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. |
| 2021 | Young Explorer Award | Belén Garcia Ovide | Marine biologist and wildlife guide | American | for her work in promoting ocean protection through exploration and citizen science |
| 2021 | 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 |
| 2022 | Young Explorer Award | Dominique Gonçalves | Ecologist | Mozambican | for her work on elephant conservation in Gorongosa National Park. |
| 2022 | Exploration History Award | Geoff Green | Expedition leader | Canadian | for his work on polar education and youth engagement |
| 2023 | Leif Erikson Award | Bill Anders | Astronaut | American | for his iconic photograph “Earthrise" |
| 2023 | Young Explorer Award | Kellie Gerardi | Science communicator | American | pioneering work in bioastronautics research and spacesuit evaluation |
| 2023 | Exploration History Award | Libby Jackson | Mission controller and author | British | preserving the history of female astronauts and space professionals |
| 2023 | Lunar Prize | Indian Space Research Organisation | (National space agency of India) | Indian | for the Chandrayaan-3 mission |
| 2024 | Leif Erikson Award | Rusty Schweickart | Astronaut | American | for pioneering work and advocacy have inspired generations of explorers and scientists. |
| 2024 | Young Explorer Award | Nima Rinji Sherpa | Nepalese | Mountaineer | the youngest person to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks |
| 2024 | Exploration History Award | Space 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.