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2019

2019 SES PIONEER WITH PURPOSE – DEE CAFFARI MBE

Dee Caffari MBE has sailed around the world six times. She is the first woman to have sailed single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions and the only woman to have sailed non-stop around the world a total of three times.

Dee led ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ – the first mixed gender youth team to compete in the Ocean Race (formerly Volvo Ocean Race) 2017/18; with a strong sustainability message. The issue of single use plastic in our oceans gained huge momentum and has inspired many people to ‘take action’ in their day to day lives. Dee continues to be an advocate for ocean health and to highlight the vital importance of reducing our dependence on plastics.

Outside of sailing, Dee continues to showcase her talents as a presenter and on the motivational speaker circuit. Dee also spends time supporting her chosen charities and is Chair of the World Sailing Trust, a new global charity that will promote the health of oceans and grow participation of the sport to protect its future.

Photo of Dee Caffari by Charlie Clift.

2019 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR – LOUIS RUDD MBE

Captain Louis Rudd MBE served for 34 years in the military, he joined at the age of 16 and rose through the ranks to Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) before commissioning as an Officer. Lou’s first trip to Antarctica was in 2011/12 on the Scott/Amundsen Centenary Race Expedition. His team skied 800 miles over 67 days unsupported from the Bay of Whales, up the Axel Heiberg Glacier to the South Pole, following the original route of the Norwegian Roald Amundsen. In 2016/17 he led a team of five Army Reservists on a 67-day, 1,100-mile traverse of Antarctica. The SPEAR17 Expedition started at Hercules Inlet, skied 700 miles unsupported to the South Pole, collected a re-supply and then crossed the Titan Dome and descended the Shackleton Glacier before arriving on the Ross Ice Shelf. The expedition won multiple awards and in 2018 Louis was awarded an MBE for his leadership on the journey. In May 2018 Louis guided a team of five civilian friends on a 570km west to east traverse of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Despite challenging weather, the team completed the crossing in 27 days. In 2018/19 he undertook the ‘Spirit of Endurance’ expedition, a 56-day, 920-mile solo unsupported crossing of the Antarctic land mass, becoming the first Briton and second in the world to complete this journey. He is the first person to traverse Antarctica twice on foot.

2019 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT – ANDREW MITCHELL

Andrew Mitchell’s association with SES started as a young Bristol University science graduate. First assignment: setting-up projects for Operation Drake, a global two-year expedition. First stop: Panama where Andrew devised an elevated system of aerial walkways – to this day regarded as an unrivalled method to study the rainforest canopy. A conservative estimate is that Andrew has given 45 years of advice to SES alongside which he managed to fit in a remarkable “other career”. He co-founded the Earthwatch Institute managing 130 field research projects in 30 countries as Vice President of Programme Development and International Relations, before founding Global Canopy, a ground-breaking non-profit, environmental think-tank based in Oxford striving to influence and enable transformative change towards a global deforestation-free economy.

In 2009, HRH The Prince of Wales asked for Andrew’s help and, working closely together for years, they initiated The Prince’s Rainforests Project. Andrew is also an advisor to the United Nations on climate change and the inclusion of reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation in the UN climate regime. Andrew bases himself at Green Templeton College, Oxford where he is an Emeritus Rufford Fellow in Environmental Understanding.

Photo of Andrew Mitchell by Matthew Ferguson (FG Studios).

2020

2020 SES PIONEER WITH PURPOSE JOHN VOLANTHEN

2020 SES PIONEER WITH PURPOSE – JOHN VOLANTHEN

John is a world record-holding British cave diver who has been at the forefront of underground rescue and exploration over the last two decades. John began caving with the scouts at the age of 14 and continues to push the limits of underwater cave exploration to this day. In 2018, John played a key role in the Tham Luang Thailand cave rescue and was awarded the George Medal by the Queen for showing ‘great courage’. Using his background in medical electronics, John has built breathing equipment used to explore caves worldwide and designed and produced cave mapping technology. John lives in Bristol and spends his ‘spare’ time running ultra-marathons. 

2020 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR STEVE BACKSHALL

2020 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR – STEVE BACKSHALL

Steve captivates millions with his TV shows and expeditions ranging from the BAFTA-winning Deadly 60, to the critically acclaimed Big Blue Live, Alaska Live, Lost Land of the Volcano, Lost Land of the Jaguar and the adrenaline-fuelled series Steve Backshall’s Extreme Mountain Challenge and Down the Mighty River with Steve Backshall. His great passion is discovery – investigating new places and new species. He is prepared to go to the ends of the Earth to satisfy this passion. More recently, his book Expedition was published alongside his brand new 10-part TV series Expedition with Steve Backshall, which broadcast on UKTV Dave and saw him taking on physical challenges and encounters with extraordinary wildlife, in unchartered territory in the pursuit of new discoveries. Steve’s international acclaim extends off-screen too. Steve is an accomplished author penning both fiction and non-fiction books for adults and children. He is also a patron for numerous charities and an ambassador for the Scout Association.

Photo of Steve Backshall by Rohan Kilham.

2020 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT DR JANE GOODALL DBE

2020 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT – DR JANE GOODALL DBE

Dr Jane Goodall is founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace. She began her landmark study into the lives of wild chimpanzees at Gombe in Western Tanzania on 14 July 1960 and that research continues today. Established in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute has offices in 24 offices countries. Programmes created include the ongoing research at Gombe; TACARE – a community-centred conservation programme active in 6 African countries, that recognises the role that local people can play in conserving their natural world, whilst sustainably improving their lives; and two sanctuaries for orphan chimpanzees in South Africa and the Republic of Congo. In 1991 Dr Goodall founded Roots & Shoots with 12 high school students in Tanzania. Today, Roots & Shoots is active in more than 65 countries and empowers young people of all ages to become involved in hands-on projects for their community, animals and the environment we all share. In the past 30 years Roots & Shoots has involved thousands of young people in more than 100 countries who are now taking those values into their adult world. Dr Goodall is author of many books for adults and children and she features in countless films and videos. The recipient of many awards and honorary degrees, Dr Goodall continues to share her messages of hope and to inspire new generations to take positive actions for our world and all its inhabitants.

Photo of Dr Jane Goodall DBE by Stuart Clarke.

2022

2022 SES YOUNG SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER OF THE YEAR KIDS AGAINST PLASTIC

2022 SES YOUNG SCIENTIFIC EXPLORERS – Kids Against Plastic

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PETER AND JUNE FELIX

Amy and Ella Meek are the teenage founders of the environmental charity Kids Against Plastic (KAP). They set up KAP back in 2016, after studying the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and discovering the issue of plastic pollution. Its mission is to make a difference and what started out as a home-school project has since become an award-winning charity.

Since founding their youth-led organisation, they have worked hard to inspire kids and adults alike to take action, and reduce their use of single-use plastics – or become more ‘Plastic Clever’ as they call it.

KAP aims to tackle plastic pollution by bringing together environmental education and youth empowerment. Since its inception, KAP has grown into an organisation that has worked with businesses, councils, cafes, and over 1,600 schools around the UK to reduce their plastic usage. Through their charity, the sisters have also brought together a Club of over 225 young people internationally, and have removed over 100,000 pieces of plastic litter from the environment (alongside developing an app to log it).

Donations to KAP can be made via the KAP website.

2022 SES PIONEER WITH PURPOSE THE BLACK MAMBAS

2022 SES PIONEERS WITH PURPOSE – The Black Mambas

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY CRAIG COHON

Transfrontier Africa is a non-profit organisation that has developed strategies to manage wildlife security, community engagement, research and development and wildlife landscape. Based on Olifants West Nature Reserve, Transfrontier Africa has developed and implemented best-practice models to protect wildlife and landscapes. One of their most successful programmes is The Black Mambas, an all-women anti-poaching unit.

The Black Mambas and their sister project, the Bush Babies, have been holistically tackling poaching and illegal wildlife trade in the Greater Kruger Park landscape for nine years. 36 young women, divided into four specialist teams, have gained the trust and support of their peers and are role models in their villages. Bush meat poaching has dropped by 86% and they have served as early detection, disruption and prevention of rhino poaching in their patrol areas.

The Black Mambas have developed a community centre and work in ten primary schools in their villages. 1,300 young children are part of their education and upliftment programme.

Donations to The Black Mambas can be made via JustGiving.

2022 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR NIMSDAI PURJA

2022 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR – Nimsdai Purja MBE

Nimsdai ‘Nims’ Purja is a multi-world record-breaking mountaineer who climbed all 14 of the world’s ‘Death Zone’ peaks over 8,000 miles in just six months and six days.

Nims led the first winter ascent of the ‘Savage Mountain’ K2. Nims is a UNEP Mountain Advocate, a Global Goodwill Ambassador for Nepal Tourism, and founder of the charitable Nimsdai Foundation. The first mission of the Nimsdai Foundation is the Big Mountain Cleanup which aims to clean, restore and protect sacred mountains for the future. So far, the team has helped clean Manaslu and this year took on their biggest challenge yet – cleaning up the ‘Death Zone’ on Everest.

In addition to this much-needed clean-up, Nims believes that we must also drive a change in behaviour, to ensure this is not a perpetual problem, but one that can be respectfully managed. He will be working with commercial partners to drive awareness and support, and help fund his mission to build a programme providing full-time, seasonal clean-up teams on all widely climbed mountains around the globe. The benefits will be vast and multi-level, providing obvious socio-economic advantages for mountain communities and wider global climate challenges.

Photo of Nimsdai Purja by Pemba Tenzing Sherpa. Copyright Nimsdai Purja.

Ian Craig

2022 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT – Ian Craig

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT FRGS

In 1983 Ian Craig, along with his father and the late Anna Merz, started the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (then called Ngare Sergoi Sanctuary), based in the foothills of Mount Kenya. At the peak of the elephant and rhino poaching epidemic, the rhino sanctuary flourished at a time when few did. The sanctuary is a model and catalyst for the conservation of wildlife and its habitat through the protection and management of species, the initiation and support of community conservation and development programmes, and the education of neighbouring areas on the value of wildlife.

Ian was Executive Director at Lewa until 2009 and, in 2004, spearheaded the formation of the Northern Rangelands Trust, an umbrella body that supports community conservancies across northern and eastern Kenya. Today the NRT has 33 conservancies that work across 44,000 square kilometres of prime dryland wildlife territory and together help develop, support and fund thousands of people in hundreds of communities.

Ian is a founding board member of both the Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust, and Il Ngwesi Group Ranch, and is also on the Big Life Foundation’s Board of Advisors.

Donations can be made via the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy website.

The 2021 SES Honorary Awards are proudly sponsored by SES Honorary Advisory Board member Christopher Wright FRGS.

2021

2021 SES YOUNG SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER OF THE YEAR ANEESHWAR KUNCHALA

2021 SES YOUNG SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER – Aneeshwar Kunchala

Aneeshwar wants to be a conservationist and is hoping to change the world through his YouTube videos and paintings.

His dream is to film a documentary about Rainforest and Orca whales along with his hero Steve Backshall. He has already created a number of short documentaries to raise awareness and protect wildlife, from plastic pollution to deforestation. He was inspired to start making the videos after watching conservationists like Steve and Sir David Attenborough on television. 

2021 SES PIONEER WITH PURPOSE ERIK WEIHENMAYER

2021 SES PIONEER WITH PURPOSE – Erik Weihenmayer

Erik is best known as the blind man who climbed Mt. Everest and for being a Time Magazine cover story.

In 2008, he completed his quest to climb the 7 Summits. He has climbed the 3,000' face of El Capitan in Yosemite, the infamous 3,000' frozen waterfall Losar in the Himalayas, completed the Primal Quest and solo kayaked the Grand Canyon. He considers his biggest achievement to be the co-founding of the non-profit No Barriers, which has grown rapidly to have an incredible impact on 10,000 challenged people annually. 

2021 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR CHAZ POWELL

2021 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR – Chaz Powell

After exploring and hiking the globe for many years, Chaz now lives his life as an Explorer, Expedition Leader, and Survival Guide.

Chaz developed and honed his explorer credentials for more than 17 years – from early days, backpacking on a shoe-string budget around the world, to self-supported arctic camping in Norway to photograph the Northern Lights, to the more ambitious technical source to sea treks along some of Africa's wildest rivers, including the mighty Zambezi. As he increased his experience and skills, he also discovered his passion for and strong commitment to conservation.

2021 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT SHANE WINSER

2021 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT – Shane Winser

Shane has been part of the Royal Geographical Society since 1977 and is still going strong. She is recognised for her lifetime commitment to supporting expeditions and exploration.

From her early start as a zoology graduate, then completing a postgraduate diploma in Information Science, Shane has been involved in assisting, planning and the organisation of the RGS's own research programmes – from the tropical forests of Sarawak and Brunei, to the mountains of the Karakoram, and the drylands of western Australia, Kenya and Oman.

Photo of Shane Winser by Patrick Williamson.

2023

2023 SES YOUNG SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER MYA-ROSE CRAIG

2023 SES YOUNG SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER – Mya-Rose Craig

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY PETER AND JUNE FELIX

Mya-Rose Craig, also known as Birdgirl, is a 21-year-old British-Bangladeshi birder, race, and environmental activist. Her passion for birds led to her setting up her charity Black2Nature when she was 14 years old, which organises free nature camps for inner city visible minority ethnic children and campaigns for equal access to nature. Mya-Rose fights to stop climate change and biodiversity loss, ensuring global climate justice, all of which are interlinked. She has published three books, We Have a Dream, Flight, and her memoir Birdgirl, in which she describes growing up with a mother with severe bipolar disorder, how that impacted her own mental health and how birding helped. At 17 she is the youngest Briton to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science, and to see half the world’s birds.

Mya-Rose is committed to saving the planet and everything on it, whilst respecting indigenous peoples, and highlighting Global Climate Justice as it intersects with Climate Change Action.

2023 SES PIONEERS WITH PURPOSE JUST A DROP

2023 SES PIONEERS WITH PURPOSE – Just a Drop

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY CRAIG COHON

Just a Drop is a water, sanitation, and hygiene organisation that works in six countries to deliver life-changing projects. They work in Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Nicaragua, Cambodia, and India. As well as providing clean, safe drinking water, they also provide latrines, education, training, and menstrual hygiene management. Due to their provision of WASH services, they ensure that women and girls around the world can stay in education, be safe, and be economically active. All their projects have sustainability and durability at their core.

As well as contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, Just a Drop impacted a total of 12 out of 17 of the UN Sustainability Goals. They also measure the carbon footprint of their programmes across the world and the organisation itself and are a carbon-neutral organisation with a strategy to become net zero.

Donations to Just A Drop can be made via their website.

2023 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR PREET CHANDI MBE

2023 SES EXPLORER OF THE YEAR – Preet Chandi MBE

Preet Chandi, also known as Polar Preet, is an Army officer, physiotherapist, and endurance athlete, with an iron will that has led to her making history and breaking barriers in the world of adventuring. In 2023 she broke two Guinness World Records, for the longest solo unsupported one-way polar ski journey for a woman, and the longest solo unsupported one-way polar ski journey overall. In 2022 she became the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition on the continent.

Preet has always been fascinated with how much the human body can endure. Her first ultra-marathon (50 miles in the Peak District) left her feeling very achy and sick, but she had already caught the bug. The scale of her adventures started to grow and her definition of what is normal began to change.

Preet aims to inspire as many people as possible and share the message that no matter where you’re from or what your starting point in life is, you can smash the glass ceiling into a million pieces by creating your own definition of ‘normal’ on your journey to success.

2023 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT COLONEL JOHN BLASHFORD-SNELL CBE

2023 SES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT – Colonel John Blashford-Snell CBE

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY CHRISTOPHER WRIGHT FRGS

John Blashford-Snell (JBS), one of the world’s most renowned and respected explorers, has organised and led over one hundred environmental, medical, and scientific expeditions.

In 1969, he and his colleagues formed the Scientific Exploration Society, which became the parent body for several worldwide ventures launched by the then, HRH the Prince of Wales. JBS then raised funds and selected a team to run Operation Drake involving 400 young explorers from 27 countries on a 2-year circumnavigation. Ultimately a much larger global youth programme was organised and by 1992 Operation Raleigh had enabled 10,000 young people from 50 countries to take part in challenges and expeditions around the world. He has written 16 books, and given broadcasts and lectures, all whilst continuing to lead expeditions worldwide with SES, and projects with the Just a Drop water charity.