Shackleton Medal 2026: The Longlist
We are in a year where the polar regions are making front page news. The urgency to protect them is growing ever greater. Our longlist for the 2026 Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions reveals the extraordinary range of people who are dedicating their lives to the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the cryosphere. It includes scientists, politicians, filmmakers, conservationists, geopoliticians, artificial intelligence experts and direct-action environmental campaigners.
In the medal's fifth year we have received 62 nominees from 19 countries, including Colombia, South Korea and India. So huge congratulations to those who have made it to the longlist of 28 people from 16 countries (Germany, UK, Canada, US, Colombia, Denmark, Ukraine, India, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Spain, Greenland, Argentina, France, South Korea).
Our most high-profile candidate is Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, for the courage and dignity with which she stood up to President Trump’s attempts to acquire Greenland. There’s also the legendary marine biologist, Sylvia Earle, the “Colombian Greta Thunberg”, Marcela Fernández, and the great champion of the Antarctic, Robert Swan. Polar Youth Ambassador, Saanya Jain, is one of two candidates we have from India, and Sara Olsvig is a leading Inuit campaigner and politician agitating for why Indigenous knowledge must be at the core of Arctic policy. As well as being a respected polar authority, Yeadong Kim was the first South Korean to set foot on Antarctica.
Next week, our panel of judges will meet at the Royal Geographical Society to decide a shortlist. We will announce who the winner is for 2026 in June.
LONGLIST FOR 2026
1. DOMINIK BAHLBURG (Germany)
Marine biologist and expert on krill
2. ELLEN BOWLER (UK)
Machine learning researcher, British Antarctic Survey
3. TANYA BROWN (Canada)
Marine biologist
4. CAROL DEVINE (Canada)
Climate activist, health professional, speaker, researcher,writer
5. JOHAN ECKDAHL (USA)
Wildfire scientist
6. SYLVIA EARLE (USA)
Marine biologist and global campaigner for the environment
7. MARCELA FERNÁNDEZ (Colombia)
Founder of Glacier Nation, an international organisation to protect glaciers
8. METTE FREDERIKSEN (Denmark)
Prime Minister of Denmark
9. ANZHELIKA HANCHUK (Ukraine)
Meteorologist
10. SUSANA HANCOCK (USA)
Climate activist, policy expert, and transdisciplinary polar scientist
11. JENNIFER JACKSON (UK)
Whale expert who's part of the Wildlife from Space group
12. M JACKSON (USA)
Geographer, glaciologist, innovative science communicator and National Geographic Society explorer
13. SAANYA JAIN (India)
Polar Youth Ambassador
14. TIM JARVIS (Australia)
Explorer and project manager
15. MATTY JORDAN (New Zealand)
Former construction engineer who has become a prolific and highly successful communicator about polar issues
16. TAMARA KLINK (Brazil)
Explorer and environmental campaigner, UNESCO Green Citizens pathfinder
17.DENISE LANDAU (USA)
A sub-Antarctic and Antarctic tourism and environmental protection expert of international stature
18. IGNACIO (NACHO) JUAREZ MARTINEZ (Spain)
Polar biologist
19. THANBAM MELOTH (India)
Director of India's National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research
20. EVAN MILES (USA)
Glaciologist and ice core expert
21. MARK NUTTALL (Canada)
Geopolitician
22. SARA OLSVIG (Greenland)
International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council
23. ANTON PTUSHKIN (Ukraine)
Film director
24. BARNEY SWAN (UK)
Founder of the Australian non-profit, Climate Force
25. ROBERT SWAN (UK) (2 nominations)
Explorer and environmentalist
26. FERNANDO TARAPOW (Argentina) (20 nominations)
Antartica writer and polar expedition guide
27. ROMAIN TROUBLÉ (France)
Molecular biologist
28. YEADONG KIM (South Korea)
Chair of the National Committee on Polar Research
