Welcome to the fourth Shackleton Medal.
‘Optimism is the true moral courage’
We believe that if the Boss was alive today, he would be striving to the utmost to save the polar regions from the myriad threats they face. Polar protection is a global priority: what happens at the poles impacts our entire planet and the nature and scale of these threats is becoming more apparent every year as the graphics below highlight. There are reasons to be pessimistic, but that’s not in our nature. There is science to be done, people to persuade, advances to be made.
The Shackleton Medal shines a light on the activists, scientists, explorers and communicators that are stepping forward to make a difference. A £10,000 prize and a hand-struck silver medal will be awarded to the person judged to have done the most to protect the polar regions so loved by the Boss. 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.
SHACKLETON MEDAL WINNER 2025.
CORMAC CULLINAN
Environmental lawyer and Rights of Nature advocate
In a closely fought race, Cormac Cullinan has emerged as the winner of this year's Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions. Cullinan won because of his radical plan to protect the Southern Ocean and Antarctica through a new Antarctic Rights Initiative. A South African lawyer who cut his teeth on anti-apartheid legislation, Cullinan became a major figure in environmental law when he wrote Wild Law: A Manifesto for Earth Justice. This argued for the first time that natural phenomena – such as rivers, or forests – should be given legal "personhood" so they could be defended in court cases.
The work won him global recognition and now his Wild Law firm is taking the concept to a whole new level, spearheading a movement which argues that the entire continent of Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean should be given rights as a distinct legal entity. “Nobody’s making decisions about Antarctica based, really, on what’s best for Antarctica,” he said. “If we could get its [legal] status to at least that of a country, then it could be represented at the UN or in court."
Cullinan is the fourth winner of the Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions, which was set up in 2022 to perpetuate Shackleton's legacy of courage, leadership and determination against the odds at the poles.
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THE 2025 SHACKLETON MEDAL
SHORTLISTED NOMINEES
Sea Shepherd’s frontline defender
CAPTAIN ALEX CORNELISSEN
Returning to Antarctica this year with Sea Shepherd, Cornelissen continues to lead a campaign to expose the environmental risks of krill fishing and transshipments in the Southern Ocean. His decades of frontline marine conservation continue to hold illegal and exploitative operations to account.
Researcher on the Antarctic and Polar Seas
PROFESSOR ANNA WÅHLIN
Wåhlin led the breakthrough mission deploying the RAN autonomous underwater vehicle beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf, producing the first detailed maps of its underside. Her findings offer game-changing insights into glacial melt and its drivers.
Antarctic explorer and climate scientist
FELICITY ASTON
The first woman to cross Antarctica solo, Felicity Aston completed the final leg of the “B.I.G. (Before It’s Gone) Arctic Research Expedition” last year—collecting vital environmental samples in the Canadian Arctic. She continues to champion polar science and diversity in exploration through speaking, writing, and public engagement.
Antarctic geophysicist
DR JAMIN S GREENBAUM
With 19 polar expeditions and groundbreaking airborne sensing technologies, Greenbaum is a leader in understanding how Antarctica’s ice sheet is melting. His international collaborations and innovative tools are reshaping how we predict global sea-level rise.
Glacier biochemist, adventurer, and author
PROFESSOR JEMMA WADHAM
Now leading the Centre for Ice, Cryosphere, Carbon and Climate
in Tromsø, Wadham’s research is uncovering how melting glaciers may release vast stores of ancient carbon. A trailblazer in polar science and a powerful science communicator, she also overcame a life-threatening brain tumour while continuing to lead world-class research.
Conservationist, Marine Biologist and Photographer
PAUL NICKLEN
Co-founder of SeaLegacy, Nicklen continues to use breathtaking imagery to shift public perception of the ocean’s importance. His exhibition Reverence and the global storytelling initiative
100 For The Ocean are inspiring audiences to act.
Climate scientist and Arctic Report Card Lead Editor
DR TWILA MOON
As lead editor of NOAA’s Arctic Report Card, Moon coordinated 97 scientists across 11 countries to assess the state of the Arctic in 2024 - concluding that the region is now emitting more carbon than it stores. Her work bridges climate science and policy at the highest levels.
TODAYS POLAR ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES
WHY THE SHACKLETON MEDAL MATTERS MORE THAN EVER
.01
Record numbers of storms in the Antarctic because of declining sea ice
.02
More wildfires and melting permafrost in the Arctic – now the region releases more carbon than it captures
.03
Ten times more greening in the Antarctic than four decades ago, heightening the danger of invasive species
.04
The shortest snow season in quarter of a century in Arctic Canada
.05
Shrinking krill populations in the Southern Ocean as the sea ice melts
.06
Links between melting sea ice in the Arctic and the Los Angeles fires
.07
The continuing alarming decline of penguin colonies
.08
The dropping of Arctic caribou populations by 65% since 30 years ago
.09
A record heatwave in the heart of the Antarctic winter
.10
The Greenland ice sheet - which holds 7% of the world's fresh water – hit its lowest mass singe 2013
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCIES OF 2024
WHY THE SHACKLETON MEDAL MATTERS MORE THAN EVER
.01
Record numbers of storms in the Antarctic because of declining sea ice
Source: Phys.org
.02
More wildfires and melting permafrost in the Arctic – now the region releases more carbon than it captures
Source: The Guardian
.03
Ten times more greening in the Antarctic than four decades ago, heightening the danger of invasive species
Source: University of Exeter
.05
Shrinking krill populations in the Southern Ocean as the sea ice melts
Source: The University of Strathclyde
.10
The Greenland ice sheet - which holds 7% of the world's fresh water – hit its lowest mass sinCe 2013
Source: NOAA in the Arctic
THE JUDGES
HISTORIAN AND PRESENTER
DAN SNOW
HONORARY JUDGE
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.
PROFESSOR OF CREATIVE WRITING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
PROFESSOR JEAN MCNEIL
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.
PRESIDENT OF THE JAMES CAIRD SOCIETY
THE HON. ALEXANDRA SHACKLETON
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.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
JOHN GEIGER
John Geiger was appointed Chief Executive Officer of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Canadian Geographic Enterprises in 2013. He is also the internationally bestselling author of seven books, including Frozen In Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition, The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible, and Chapel of Extreme Experience: A Short History of Stroboscopic Light and the Dream Machine. 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. In 2021, Geiger was awarded the Order of Canada, and in 2023 he received the RCA Medal from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
PRESIDENT OF THE SÁMI PARLIAMENT
PIRITA NÄKKÄLÄJÄRVI
Pirita Näkkäläjärvi is the President of the Sámi Parliament in Finland. She has a unique career combining Indigenous rights advocacy and global business. She is a third term elected member of the Sámi Parliament in Finland and a member of the Inari municipal council from the Greens’ list (independent). She worked as the Editor and Head of Yle Sápmi (the Sámi-language operations of the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle) in 2012–2016. She has also worked along the Mergers & Acquisitions lifecycle at Merrill Lynch, Nokia, Booz & Company, Metso, Strategy&, PwC, EY-Parthenon and Helen Ventures. Beyond this she 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.
DIRECTOR OF CAMBRIDGE ZERO
PROFESSOR EMILY SHUCKBURGH
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.
POLAR PHOTOGRAPHER
MARTIN HARTLEY
Over the past 20 years, Martin Hartley has shown pioneering spirit and courage in extreme environments, photographing desert journeys in Oman, Yemen, the Empty Quarter, and the Himalayas in winter. His work spans the North and South Poles, collaborating with scientists and anthropologists to capture the beauty and fragility of Earth’s toughest landscapes—deserts, mountains, jungles, oceans, and polar ice caps. TIME magazine honored his bravery with a Hero of the Environment nomination for documenting the rapidly changing Arctic sea ice, including NASA’s IceBridge project.
GUARDIAN US LIVE NEWS EDITOR, EDITOR OF SEASCAPE: THE STATE OF OUR OCEANS
CHRIS MICHAEL
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.
SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
PROFESSOR LEWIS DARTNELL
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 in June 2023. He is also the scientific adviser on 'The Book: the ultimate guide to rebuilding a civilization'.
DEPUTY VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
PROFESSOR MARTIN SIEGERT
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. He has written/edited eight books.
EXECUTIVE DEAN FOR THE SCHOOL OF LIFE SCIENCES AND ENVIRONMENT AT ROYAL HOLLOWAY LONDON
PROFESSOR KLAUS DODDS
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 also a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Warsaw and a former trustee of the Royal Geographical Society. His many publications include 'Ice: Nature and Culture', 'The Arctic: What Everyone Needs to Know', and 'The Antarctic: A Very Short Introduction'. His most recent published book is the acclaimed 'Border Wars: The Conflicts of Tomorrow' and his new book 'Unfrozen: The Battle for the Future of the Arctic' – co-written with Mia Bennett – will be published later this year. He has visited the Arctic and Antarctica numerous times and is an Hon Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey.
RECORD-BREAKING EXPLORER
AND AUTHOR
SIR RANULPH FIENNES
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”.
CHAIRMAN OF THE JAMES CAIRD SOCIETY
REAR ADMIRAL NICK LAMBERT
Rear Admiral Nick Lambert took over the Chairmanship of the James Caird Society from Admiral Sir James Perowne KBE in November 2017. He joined the Royal Navy as a seaman in March 1977, subsequently gaining an honours degree in Geography at the University of Durham in 1983. His time at sea includes being captain of the ice patrol ship Endurance from 2005-2007, deploying for two deeply rewarding seasons in Antarctica, after which he commanded Task Force 158 in the North Arabian Gulf, tasked with the protection of Iraq’s economically vital offshore oil infrastructure. Thereafter he was Deputy Flag Officer Sea Training from 2008 to 2009 before assuming the role of Assistant Chief of Staff Operations and Capability Integration in November 2009 in the Navy Command Headquarters. Promoted to Rear Admiral, he became the UK National Hydrographer in 2010, a post he held until the end of 2012. He has also been Chairman of the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute since 2010 so his Polar credentials are impeccable!
TRAVELLER AND WRITER
SARA WHEELER
Sara Wheeler is a highly respected traveller and writer. After spending seven months in Antarctica in 1995 as writer in residence with the U.S. Polar Program she wrote 'Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica', an international bestseller chosen by Beryl Bainbridge as one of the best books of the year. She also wrote 'The Magnetic North' (winner of the Banff Adventure Travel Prize), and 'Travels in a Thin Country'. She contributes to a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and The Daily Telegraph, and broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio. She lives in London.
EXPLORER AND AUTHOR
LEVISON WOOD
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.
PROFESSOR OF CREATIVE WRITING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
PROFESSOR JEAN MCNEIL
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.
PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE SHACKLETON MEDAL
SHACKLETON MEDAL WINNER 2024.
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
SHACKLETON MEDAL WINNER 2023.
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
SHACKLETON MEDAL WINNER 2022.
DR. HEÏDI SEVESTRE - 05.04.22.
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 the full interview
