THE SHACKLETON MEDAL
Launched on 5th January 2022, exactly 100 years after the death of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions is an annual £10,000 prize, awarded to the person judged to have done the most to protect the polar extremes so valued by The Boss.
We believe that if the Boss were alive today, rather than just exploring the polar regions he so loved, he would be striving to the utmost to save them from the myriad threats they face. The judging criteria reflect the character of Shackleton himself; we are looking to reward people who have shown courage, determination, ingenuity and leadership in their work.
Our panel of expert judges will consider all high-achievers who show these traits, regardless of age, gender, nationality or occupation. Last year’s nominations included outstanding people from the fields of exploration, marine biology, sport, geopolitics, climate advocates, artificial intelligence and more.
Our first winner, pioneering 35-year-old French glaciologist Heïdi Sevestre, risked her life to bring back the latest data on black carbon deposits from Svalbard with the all-female scientist group Climate Sentinels. Our second winner, the 61-year-old explorer Pen Hadow, has made it his mission to protect the wildlife of the North Pole’s international waters in the many years since his astonishing solo trek from Canada to the North Pole.
This year Shackleton is looking for a third individual to continue the explorer’s legacy. Nominations for the medal closed on 7th April 2024.
THE JUDGES
SIR RANULPH FIENNES
(HONORARY JUDGE)
RECORD-BREAKING EXPLORER AND AUTHOR
Sir Ranulph Fiennes was described in 1984 as the “World’s Greatest Explorer”. His most recent book is Lawrence of Arabia. He has also written an acclaimed biography of Shackleton. His expeditions include: Transglobe (the world’s first surface journey around the world’s polar axis) 1979-82; the North Polar Unsupported Expedition (the furthest north unsupported record) 1986; and the Anglo-Soviet North Pole Expedition 1990/9. Fiennes was also the leader of the Pentland South Pole expedition 1992/93 (the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic Continent and the longest unsupported polar journey in history). In 2004 he came second in the International North Pole Marathon and, in 2005, he raised £2m through his ascent to within 300 metres of the Everest summit ridge for the British Heart Foundation’s new research MRI scanner. Sir Ranulph Fiennes was awarded an OBE in 1993 for “human endeavour and charitable services”.
LEVISON WOOD
EXPLORER AND AUTHOR
Levison Wood is a professional explorer, writer and photographer who has published eleven best selling books and produced many critically acclaimed TV documentaries which have been aired around the world. His passion for adventure and discovering more about indigenous ways of life has led him to walk the length of the Nile, the Himalayas, Central America, cross the Caucasus, circumnavigate the Arabian Peninsula and follow the migration and conservation of elephants in Botswana. Levison spent a number of years as an Officer in the British Parachute Regiment, where he served in Afghanistan. His latest book Escape from Kabul: The Inside Story, was released in March 2023. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, the Explorers Club, and is an ambassador of several charities including UNICEF.
DAN SNOW
(HONORARY JUDGE)
HISTORIAN AND PRESENTER
Dan Snow MBE is a historian, broadcaster and television presenter. At the beginning of 2022, he took part in the Endurance22 Expedition, where he was eyewitness to the extraordinary discovery of Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship. A childhood of visiting castles, battlefields, country houses and churches every weekend gave him a passion for history which he then studied at Oxford University. While there he also rowed in the Boat Race three times. Since university he has presented history programmes both on his own (including Hunting the Nazi Gold Train, 2016, Dan Snow: Into the Valley of the Kings, 2022) and with his father, Peter Snow. His books include Death or Victory: The Battle of Quebec and the Birth of Empire and Battle Castles: 500 Years of Knights and Siege Warfare. His History Hit is one of the UK’s top history podcasts.
THE HON. ALEXANDRA SHACKLETON
PRESIDENT OF THE JAMES CAIRD SOCIETY
Alexandra Shackleton is the granddaughter of Ernest Shackleton and President of the James Caird Society. She is a passionate advocate for continuing the legacy of her grandfather and promoting research in the areas that fascinated him. Her work includes making a film in Ireland about the cabin where Ernest Shackleton died. She has given speeches around the world in his memory – many of which have been to maintain` her grandfather’s close links with Chile – and has been the patron of numerous expeditions and research projects. She has also launched two ships and four boats.
JOHN GEIGER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
John Geiger is Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and President and CEO of Canadian Geographic Enterprises. He is also the internationally bestselling author of seven books, including Frozen In Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition, and The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible. William S. Burroughs called him “a fellow writer of exploration literature.” His work has been translated into fourteen languages. In 2018 he was made Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and Honorary Member of the James Caird Society. Geiger graduated from the University of Alberta and is a Senior Fellow of Massey College, Toronto. He received a Doctor of Laws h.c. from the University of Calgary. In 2021, Geiger was awarded the Order of Canada, and in 2023 he received the RCA Medal from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
PROFESSOR LEWIS DARTNELL
SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER
Professor Lewis Dartnell is a research scientist, presenter and author based in London, UK. He graduated from Oxford University with a First Class degree in Biological Sciences and completed his PhD at University College London. He is now Professor in Science Communication at the University of Westminster. His research is in the field of astrobiology and the search for microbial life on Mars. He has won several awards for his science writing and outreach work and regularly contributes to newspapers and magazines. He has also published four books: The Knowledge was an international bestseller, and ORIGINS: How the Earth Made Us was a Sunday Times top history book of 2019. His latest book, Being Human was published last June.
PROFESSOR MARTIN SIEGERT
DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Leading glaciologist Professor Martin Siegert FRSE has been Deputy Vice Chancellor (Cornwall) of the University of Exeter since November 2022. Prior to this he was Co-Director of the prestigious Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment; he is still a visiting professor at Imperial. He has also been Head of the School of GeoSciences at Edinburgh University, where he now holds an Honorary Professorship. He has undertaken three Antarctic field seasons, using geophysics to measure the subglacial landscape and understand what it tells us about past changes in Antarctica and elsewhere. In 2013 he was awarded the Martha T Muse Prize for excellence in Antarctic science and policy, and in 2007 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
PROFESSOR KLAUS DODDS
EXECUTIVE DEAN FOR THE SCHOOL OF LIFE SCIENCES AND ENVIRONMENT AT ROYAL HOLLOWAY LONDON
Klaus Dodds is Executive Dean for the School of Life Sciences and Environment at Royal Holloway University of London and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is a former trustee of the Royal Geographical Society and Editor-in-Chief of “Territory, Politics, Governance”. His books include Ice: Nature and Culture, The Arctic: What Everyone Needs to Know, and The Antarctic: A Very Short Introduction. His most recent publication is the acclaimed Border Wars: The Conflicts of Tomorrow. He has visited the Arctic and Antarctica numerous times and is an Hon Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey.
PROFESSOR
EMILY SHUCKBURGH
DIRECTOR OF CAMBRIDGE ZERO
Professor Emily Shuckburgh is a scientist and mathematician who is Director of Cambridge Zero. She is also Professor of Environmental Data Science at the Department of Computer Science and Technology. Other positions include being a Fellow of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and a Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey. She leads the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training on the Application of AI to the study of Environmental Risks. A polar expert, she previously led a UK national research programme on the Southern Ocean and its role in climate. In 2016 she was awarded an OBE for services to science and the public communication of science. She is co-author with HM The King and Tony Juniper of the Ladybird Book on Climate Change.
PROFESSOR JEAN MCNEIL
PROFESSOR OF CREATIVE WRITING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
Professor Jean McNeil is an award-winning literary writer who has written extensively about the environment and climate change. She has been a writer-in-residence in the Falkland Islands, Antarctica, Svalbard and Greenland. Her fourteen books include seven novels and collections of short fiction. She has won numerous awards including the Prism International Competition for short fiction and creative non-fiction. Jean is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where she coordinates the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing’s international programmes. As well as this she leads its research pillar Developing resilience through climate narrative. Her Ice Diaries: An Antarctic Memoir was winner of the Grand Prize at the Banff Mountain Film Festival Book Competition in 2016 and was chosen as one of the best nature books of 2018 by The Guardian.
PIRITA NÄKKÄLÄJÄRVI
PRESIDENT OF THE SÁMI PARLIAMENT IN FINLAND
Pirita Näkkäläjärvi is a Sámi with a unique profile combining indigenous rights advocacy and global business. Formerly she worked as a Doctoral Researcher at Sibelius Academy researching Sámi yoik and cultural appropriation. She also had her own consulting firm Dálvi Consulting Ltd that advised organisations on Indigenous, sustainability and communications matters. Her long career includes working along the Mergers & Acquisitions lifecycle at Merrill Lynch, Nokia, Booz & Company, Metso, Strategy&, PwC, EY-Parthenon and Helen Ventures. She also worked as the Head of Yle Sápmi (the Sámi-language operations of the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle) in 2012–2016. Pirita holds MSc in Economics from Helsinki School of Economics and MSc Media & Communications (with Distinction) from London School of Economics
CHRIS MICHAEL
GUARDIAN US LIVE NEWS EDITOR, EDITOR OF SEASCAPE: THE STATE OF OUR OCEANS
Chris Michael is the Guardian’s US Editor for the UK time zone. Previously he was the Ocean Editor, leading the Guardian Seascape project, and has overseen in-depth investigative series on the Arctic for Guardian US. Before the Guardian he worked for the International New York Times in Japan. He is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, was nominated for the 2020 Orwell prize and in 2021 won the Emmy award for best crime and justice reporting.
THE 2024 WINNER
VALÉRIE COURTOIS - 10.05.24
VALÉRIE COURTOIS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
Valérie Courtois, winner of the 2024 Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions, is at the forefront of a powerful movement that has revolutionised environmental conservation in Canada and is seizing the attention of world leaders. Her vision to connect Indigenous Guardians as the “eyes and ears on the ground” to preserve ecosystems has won Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s backing and seen her nominated as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most Influential Climate Leaders.
Read the full interview
THE 2023 WINNER
PEN HADOW - 05.04.23
PEN HADOW
EXPLORER & CONSERVATIONIST
Whittling down from the significant longlist of nominees for the 2023 Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions was a challenging but inspirational task for thE judging panel.
We were proud to announce that record-breaking explorer and conservationist, Pen Hadow, was awarded the Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions. The award recognises Hadow's decades-long commitment to protect the central Arctic Ocean and his latest initiative to establish a Marine Protected Area in the region.
“I was stunned to receive such a special award which came at a critical moment in the roll-out of our conservation mission for the Arctic Ocean. It gave our work extra currency and topicality - and attracted a considerable and touching response from within the polar community.” - Pen Hadow
Read the full interview
THE 2022 WINNER
DR. HEÏDI SEVESTRE - 05.04.22
DR HEIDI SEVESTRE
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHER,EXPEDITION LEADER AND CLIMATE ACTIVIST
The winner of the inaugural Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions was Dr. Heïdi Sevestre, the pioneering climate activist, expedition leader, scientific researcher, documentary maker and lobbyist.
Amongst an exceptionally strong list of nominees, Dr. Sevestre stood out for the extraordinary courage she has demonstrated working in the field and her drive and determination to communicate her message.
You can see Heidi in action in the new National Geographic docuseries, Arctic Ascent, which follows renowned climber Alex Honnold and his team as they venture into Greenland's remote and icy wilderness.
Read more
