HUSAVIK, Iceland (August 18, 2020) – The sixth annual Leif Erikson Exploration Awards, sponsored by the Exploration Museum, this weekend recognized Canadian George Kourounis, and Americans Ulyana N. Horodyskyj and Jeff Blumenfeld. Also recognized was Scottish private space company Skyrora that launched their Skylark rocket from Langanes near Húsavík in northern Iceland on Aug. 16.
The Leif Erikson Awards, also known as the Exploration Awards, are awarded annually by the Exploration Museum for achievements in exploration and for work in the field of exploration history.
The awards ceremony was held Aug. 15 in Húsavík, the main and final event of the annual Húsavík Explorers Festival.
The Leif Erikson Exploration Award, recognizing an explorer for a recent or a lifetime achievement in the field of exploration, goes to George Kourounis, Toronto, Ontario, who explores and documents extreme natural events, working with scientists or local experts. He has also documented many forms of severe weather, including tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, floods, hail, and lightning.
The Leif Erikson Young Explorer Award, awarded to an explorer under the age of 35 for great achievements in exploration, goes to Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj, Broomfield, Colorado, recognized for her work as a science communicator. Horodyskyj is passionate about inspiring others to become involved in glaciology, geology and astronomy. She is the founder of Science in the Wild, bringing citizen-scientists into the field.
The Leif Erikson Exploration History Award, which recognizes a person or an organization that has worked to promote and preserve exploration history, was bestowed upon Jeff Blumenfeld, editor and publisher of Expedition News, who for 26 years has chronicled both worldwide expeditions and adventures. Blumenfeld, from Boulder, Colorado, has devoted his career to documenting exploration and helping new explorers gain funding. He is a longtime Fellow of The Explorers Club and served as the club’s communication director. His books include Get Sponsored: A Funding Guide for Explorers, Adventurers and Would-Be World Travelers, and Travel With Purpose: A Field Guide to Voluntourism.
Skyrora Ltd., a private space company from Scotland founded in 2017, received the Leif Erikson Lunar Prize for their work developing innovative high-grade fuel made from waste plastics designed to minimize the environmental impact of rocket launches.