Awardees

Fifty people changing the world, that the world needs to know about

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

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Advocates

Alchemists

Guardians

Innovators

Storytellers

about The 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.

about The class of 2025

Five years, 250 visionaries. This new cohort of fifty explorers are changing the world through vital work in their communities and around the globe. They are creative, passionate, and driven to make a difference. From the depths of the ocean to outer space, these explorers are uncovering new knowledge, facing hard problems head on, and paving the way towards a hopeful future.

about The class of 2024

In our fourth year, as our cohort grows to 200 incredible explorers around the world, the EC50 class of 2024 serves as a beacon for what's next. These individuals are heroes, heroes for their communities, for disappearing species, for rivers and oceans, for the planet we call home. Their work is defining the next frontier of exploration as we know it.

about The class of 2023

Soaring into our third year, the class of 2023 once again shows us that the future of the world will be just a little bit brighter due to the work of these amazing explorers from all walks of life. These trailblazers continue to push boundaries and set the bar high for The Explorers Club and its members.

about The class of 2022

As the second class of honorees in our program, the EC50 class of 2022 had big shoes to fill. Not only does their work parallel the creativity and dynamism of the previous 50 explorers, it builds upon their foundations and expands the realms of what is possible within exploration.

about The class of 2021

As the inaugural fifty honorees, the EC50 class of 2021 envigorated the face of The Explorers Club and bolstered our mission to new heights. Their work engaged and transformed us, making the club itself a world worthy of exploration and full of the promise of new discover

meet theAdvocates

In the tapestry of transformation, Advocates are explorers who emerge as vibrant threads, weaving voices, nurturing unity, and kindling change with relentless passion and resolute purpose.

Florence Aghomo

Primatologist

Carlos Aya

Mammalogist

Imani Black

Aquaculturist

Bayarmaa Chuluunbat

Wildlife Ecologist

Kerllen Costa

Ethnobiologist

Kelsey Leonard

Water Justice Advocate

Alejandro Pérez-Matus

Marine Ecologist

Mariusz Potocki

Glaciochemist

Ana Saldarriaga-Gómez

Conservation Geneticist

Aka Simonsen

Arctic Archaeologist

meet theAlchemists

Alchemists are those explorers who embrace creativity and inspire us to see the world from new perspectives; their approach to exploration is a blend of diverse landscapes, eccentric tactics, and unyielding courage.

Brandon Clifford

Underwater Archaeologist

M. Mert Gökalp

Marine Biologist & Filmmaker

Sersmaa Gonchigdorj

Geologist

Greer Jarrett

Maritime Archaeologist

Vera Knook

River Conservationist

Ian MacNairn

Ethnographer-Physician

Paige Maroni

Polar & Deep-sea Biologist

Eshadi Mendis

Environmental Educator

Tricia Reilly Koch

Conservation Leader & Educator

Kenna Harmony Rubin

Oceanographer

meet theGuardians

Guardians are those explorers who unite to safeguard cultures, people, communities, and the world; their visionary dedication to defend forges our collective path forward.

Muffadal S. Alibhai

Aquatic Conservationist

Reem AlMealla

Marine Biologist

Alberto Borges

Environmental Educator

Hugues de Kerdrel

Marine Megafauna Specialist

Andrew Digby

Conservation Biologist

Tshiring Lhamu Lama

Snow Leopard Conservationist

Moreangels Mbizah

Conservation Biologist

Gabriela Ochoa

Shark Conservationist

Ajay Sawant

Ocean Conservationist

Avita Taricuarima

Biologist & Traditional Knowledge Keeper

meet theInnovators

Innovators, the architects of tomorrow, blaze new trails across uncharted challenges. These explorers are creating solutions, pushing boundaries, and igniting change with limitless creativity and unwavering vision.

Björk Brynjarsdóttir

Systems Engineer

Andrew Budziak

Environmental Storyteller

Emma Camp

Coral Reef Ecologist

Elio J. Challita

Mechanical & Bio-engineer

Lola Fatoyinbo

Space Ecologist

Andreas B. Heide

Expedition Sailor

Raquel Peixoto

Coral Microbiologist

Nina Purvis

Aerospace Physiologist

Ali Skanda

Master Craftsman

Sue Smrekar

Planetary Geophysicist

meet theStorytellers

With the power of their voice, Storytellers are the explorers who paint vivid worlds; they build bridges, share knowledge, and ignite a curiosity within our hearts.