Fifty people changing the world
Each year, The Explorers Club recognizes 50 extraordinary people who are doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration, but remain under the radar and out of the limelight.
These 50 individuals are exploring, inspiring, and creating the future—the future of the planet, life upon it, and the boundless possibilities that await us all.
Karim Iliya MI'24 in Iceland
Author: Norris Niman
Class of 2026
Our sixth cohort of Explorers Club 50 honorees represent the cutting edge of conservation, field science, and research. From their own vantage points all across the globe, these explorers are taking on the hardest questions and challenges facing our world today. Each one of these fifty visionaries has their own unique story, but each one similarly inspires wonder for our interconnected world, and hope for its future.
view the class of 2026
Updates
Videos
Tomas Koeck Interview: Environmental Storytelling through Patience, Ethics, and Community
Features: Tomas Koeck, EC50 2026
Brandon Clifford Interview: Inside the World’s Only Proven Pirate Shipwreck
Features: Brandon Clifford, EC50 2026
Karim Iliya Interview: How Storytelling Connects Nature, Space, and Humanity
Features: Karim Iliya, EC50 2025
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