Leif Erikson Awards facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Leif Erikson Awards |
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Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt receives the 2015 Leif Erikson award from Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland.
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| Location | Húsavík |
| Country | Iceland |
The Leif Erikson Awards are special prizes given out every year in Húsavík, Iceland. They are also sometimes called the Exploration Awards. These awards celebrate amazing achievements in exploration and work that helps us learn about the history of exploration.
The awards are named after Leif Erikson, a famous Icelandic explorer. Many people believe he was the first European to land in North America, long before Christopher Columbus! He even tried to start a settlement there called Vinland.
The awards are the main event of the yearly Húsavík Explorers Festival. They were first given out in 2015. Two former Presidents of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, have helped present these awards.
Contents
What are the Leif Erikson Awards For?
The Leif Erikson Awards are given in three different categories:
- Lifetime Achievement: This award goes to an explorer who has done incredible things throughout their life.
- Young Explorer: This award is for explorers under 35 years old who have already made great achievements.
- Exploration History: This award honors a person or group that works to share and protect the stories of past explorations.
Who Decides the Winners?
A group called the Scientific Committee of the Exploration Museum chooses the winners. This committee changes each year. The person who won the Exploration History Award the year before becomes the chairperson of the committee for the next year.
Award Winners Through the Years
The Leif Erikson Awards are announced at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík. Sometimes, they are announced in other places like Reykjavík University. Famous people like astronauts and news anchors have presented the awards.
| Year | Award | Winner | What they do | From | Why they won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Leif Erikson Award | Harrison Schmitt | Apollo 17 astronaut | American | For his scientific work on the surface of the Moon in 1972 and helping train other astronauts. |
| Young Explorer Award | Jessica Watson | Sailor | Australian | For sailing around the world by herself at just 16 years old. | |
| Exploration History Award | Huw Lewis-Jones | Author and historian | British | For his writings about sea travel, polar exploration, and mountains. | |
| 2016 | Leif Erikson Award | Scott Parazynski | Astronaut and mountaineer | American | For his many space shuttle flights, spacewalks, and for climbing Mount Everest. |
| Young Explorer Award | Tashi and Nungshi Malik | Mountaineers | Indian | For being the youngest people to reach both Poles and climb the Seven Summits. | |
| Exploration History Award | Draken Harald Hårfagre | Crew and builders | Norwegian | For sailing a Viking ship replica across the Atlantic, like the Vikings did. | |
| Social Media Award | Chris Burkard | Photographer | American | For his amazing adventure photography. | |
| 2017 | Leif Erikson Award | Edurne Pasaban | Mountaineer | Spanish | For being the first woman to climb all 14 of the world's highest mountains (over 8,000 meters). |
| Young Explorer Award | Alex Bellini | Sailor | Italian | For rowing solo across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. | |
| Exploration History Award | Haraldur Sigurðsson | Volcanologist | Icelandic | For his scientific work and writings about volcanoes, including Santorini and Vesuvius. | |
| 2018 | Leif Erikson Award | Clive Oppenheimer | Volcanologist | British | For his many years of studying Mount Erebus, an active volcano in Antarctica. |
| Young Explorer Award | Jade Hameister | Photographer, biologist, and author | Australian | For being the youngest person to ski to both Poles and cross the Greenland icecap. | |
| Exploration History Award | Cristina Mittermeier | Photographer, biologist, and author | Mexican | For her important work using photos and writing to highlight environmental issues. | |
| 2019 | Leif Erikson Award | Carolyn Porco | Planetary scientist | American | For her 35 years exploring the outer Solar System with the Voyager program. |
| Young Explorer Award | Barbara Zangerl | Rock climber | Australian | For her impressive achievements in rock climbing. | |
| Exploration History Award | Ben Feist | Software engineer and historian | Canadian | For helping to share the story of NASA's Apollo program with new generations. | |
| Lunar Prize | China National Space Administration | (National space agency of China) | Chinese | For their Chang'e 4 mission, the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon. | |
| 2020 | Leif Erikson Award | George Kourounis | Explorer | Greek-Canadian | For exploring and documenting extreme weather events like tornadoes and hurricanes. |
| Young Explorer Award | Ulyana Horodyskyj | Glaciologist and geologist | American | For her field work in the Arctic and for teaching others about science. | |
| Exploration History Award | Jeff Blumenfeld | Author | American | For his 26 years of documenting exploration history as an editor. | |
| Lunar Prize | Skyrora | (Spaceflight company) | Scottish | For developing rocket fuel from waste plastics, making launches more eco-friendly. | |
| 2021 | Leif Erikson Award | Will Steger | Polar explorer and preservation advocate | American | For his lifetime of exploring the Arctic and Antarctic and working to protect these regions. |
| Young Explorer Award | Belén Garcia Ovide | Marine biologist and wildlife guide | American | For her work to protect oceans through exploration and citizen science. | |
| Exploration History Award | J. Robert Harris | Author | American | For his lifetime of exploration and 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 helping elephant conservation in Gorongosa National Park. | |
| Exploration History Award | Geoff Green | Expedition leader | Canadian | For his work teaching about the polar regions and involving young people. | |
| 2023 | Leif Erikson Award | Bill Anders | Astronaut | American | For his famous photograph “Earthrise" taken from space. |
| Young Explorer Award | Kellie Gerardi | Science communicator | American | For her pioneering work in space research and testing spacesuits. | |
| Exploration History Award | Libby Jackson | Mission controller and author | British | For helping to preserve the history of women in space exploration. | |
| Lunar Prize | Indian Space Research Organisation | (National space agency of India) | Indian | For their successful Chandrayaan-3 mission to the Moon. | |
| 2024 | Leif Erikson Award | Rusty Schweickart | Astronaut | American | For his pioneering work and inspiring many generations of explorers and scientists. |
| Young Explorer Award | Nima Rinji Sherpa | Mountaineer | Nepalese | For being the youngest person to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks. | |
| Exploration History Award | Space Hipsters | (online community) | – | For being an online community dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of space exploration. |
The Húsavík Explorers Festival
The Leif Erikson Awards are the most important part of the yearly Húsavík Explorers Festival. This festival started in 2015. Since 2016, the festival has included short expeditions and outdoor fun around Húsavík. There are also workshops for young explorers, talks by famous explorers, concerts, movies, and art shows. It's a great way to celebrate exploration!
See also
- The Exploration Museum
- The Astronaut Monument
- List of geography awards
