The Leif Erikson Awards, sometimes referred to as the Exploration Awards,
are awarded annually by the
Exploration Museum in Húsavík, Iceland, for achievements in exploration and for work in the field of exploration history.
They are awarded in three categories; to an explorer for a lifetime achievement in exploration; to a young explorer under the age of 35 for achievements in exploration; and to a person or an organization that has worked to promote and preserve exploration history.
The awards ceremony takes place annually in
Húsavík
Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík is s ...
. The Leif Erikson Awards are the main and final event of the annual ''Húsavík Explorers Festival''. They were first awarded in 2015.
The awards are named for Icelandic explorer
Leif Erikson
Leif Erikson, Leiv Eiriksson, or Leif Ericson, ; Modern Icelandic: ; Norwegian: ''Leiv Eiriksson'' also known as Leif the Lucky (), was a Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to have set foot on continental North ...
, considered as the first European to land in North America
and who, according to the
Sagas of Icelanders
The sagas of Icelanders ( is, Íslendingasögur, ), also known as family sagas, are one genre of Icelandic sagas. They are prose narratives mostly based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in the ninth, tenth, and early el ...
, established the first Norse settlement at Vinland, tentatively identified with the Norse L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland in modern-day Canada.
The President of Iceland,
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson (;
born 26 June 1968) is an Icelandic historian and politician serving as the sixth and current president of Iceland. He took office in 2016 after winning the most votes in the 2016 election, 71,356 (39.1%). He wa ...
, and his predecessor, President
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (; born 14 May 1943) is an Icelandic politician who was the fifth president of Iceland from 1996 to 2016.Official CV. He was previously a member of the Icelandic Parliament for the People's Alliance and served as Minist ...
, have both presented the awards.
Scientific Committee
The winners of the Leif Erikson awards are voted by the members of the Exploration Museum's Scientific Committee.
The committee is appointed for one year by the board of the museum, except for the chairperson, who is the winner of the previous year's Exploration History Award.
Recipients
The 2015 Leif Erikson Awards were announced by the
President of Iceland
The president of Iceland ( is, Forseti Íslands) is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, who is now in his second term as president, elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir as ...
,
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (; born 14 May 1943) is an Icelandic politician who was the fifth president of Iceland from 1996 to 2016.Official CV. He was previously a member of the Icelandic Parliament for the People's Alliance and served as Minist ...
, on 9 July at the
Reykjavík University Auditorium.
The 2016 Leif Erikson Awards were announced by the
President of Iceland
The president of Iceland ( is, Forseti Íslands) is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, who is now in his second term as president, elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir as ...
,
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson
Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson (;
born 26 June 1968) is an Icelandic historian and politician serving as the sixth and current president of Iceland. He took office in 2016 after winning the most votes in the 2016 election, 71,356 (39.1%). He wa ...
, on 22 October at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík. The 2017 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by BBC World News Anchor
Babita Sharma
Babita Sharma (born April 1977) is a British television newsreader on BBC News (TV channel) and BBC World News, presenting the Newsday strand each Monday to Wednesday from London with Rico Hizon in Singapore.
Early life and education
Sharma is ...
, on 23 September at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík. The 2018 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by Around the world pilot and News Anchor
Amelia Rose Earhart, on 23 September at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík. The 2019 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by Exploration Museum founder
Orly Orlyson, on 19 October at the Explorers Festival in Húsavík. The 2020 Leif Erikson Awards were presented by Exploration Museum founder
Orly Orlyson, on 15 August via a live-stream from the Explorers Festival in Húsavík.
Explorers Festival
The Leif Erikson Awards are the main event of the annual Húsavík Explorers Festival. The festival was first held in 2015 with events in
Húsavík
Húsavík () is a town in Norðurþing municipality on the north coast of Iceland on the shores of Skjálfandi bay with 2,307 inhabitants. The most famous landmark of the town is the wooden church Húsavíkurkirkja, built in 1907. Húsavík is s ...
and
Reykjavík. The format of the festival took shape in 2016 and has stayed the same since, with the festival consisting of short expeditions and outdoor activities around Húsavík, young explorers workshops, talks by explorers, concerts, film screenings and art exhibitions.
See also
*
The Exploration Museum
The Exploration Museum ( is, Könnunarsögusafnið ) is dedicated to the history of human exploration, from the early explorers to the exploration of space. The museum is located in the center of Húsavík in North Iceland, from the Arctic Cir ...
*
The Astronaut Monument
*
List of geography awards
This list of geography awards is an index to articles about notable awards for geography, the field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of the Earth and planets. The list is organized by the region an ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erikson Awards
Geography awards
Exploration of the Moon
Icelandic awards
Awards established in 2015
Húsavík
Leif Erikson