The Explorers Club

Grab a snorkel, tighten your fins, and help us change the world — World Oceans Week starts tomorrow at The Explorers Club Headquarters 🌊 Presented by the ROLEX Perpetual Planet Initiative. Buy tickets and learn more at https://lnkd.in/e6AhwNby See the full schedule below ⬇️ Featuring: Xiye Bastida Wendy Benchley Kim Bernard Josh Bernstein Johnny Briggs Ashlan Cousteau Fabien Cousteau Philippe Cousteau Sylvia Earle Aaron Hartmann Red Sea Global Dr Edward Oldmeadow Raquel Peixoto Dr. Ulrike Pfreundt Greg Skomal CHRISTOPHER VERLINDEN Richard Vevers & more

Welcome to the 10th Annual World Oceans Week 🌊 Featuring our three ambassador species - Krill, Giant Squid, and Great White Sharks, the tenth anniversary of our World Oceans Week convenes legends, scientists, divers, and ocean lovers of all stripes. Grab a snorkel, tighten your fins, and help us change the world — June 1-5 at Explorers Club Headquarters. Our iconic Headquarters in New York City transforms into an undersea oasis for an incredible week of ocean programming, art exhibits, blue networking, sustainable seafood, ocean auctions, and more. Tickets are available at https://lnkd.in/ejRdyCvg Presented by the ROLEX Perpetual Planet Initiative. 📸 : Morgan Bennett-Smith

The Explorers Club Board of Directors is proud to welcome the Class of 2029, as newly elected by Club Membership: Christina Janulis, MN’16 Milbry Polk, MED’95 james robinson, MN’14 Trevor Wallace, FN’13 Read more about these incredible explorers here: https://lnkd.in/dYyVpG7x

We are proud to announce the 2026 recipients of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Explorers Club Visionary Awards! The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Visionary Awards provide grant funding to support exceptional explorers in advancing their work in science, conservation, sustainability, and exploration. Thanks to the generosity of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, our 2026 winners are… ⚓️ James P. Delgado - Digital Documentation, Virtual Preservation and Interpretation of Piccard and Walsh’s Trieste 🌳 Alexandra Climent, The New Explorer Award - Restoring the Corridor of the Americas: The Darién Gap 🌿 Elodie Freymann, The New Explorer Award - Project Eco-Medicine 🎨 Rebecca Hui, The New Explorer Award - From Rainforests to the Runway: Documenting Indigenous Bioeconomic Knowledge for Global Cultural Economies 🐆 Morad Tahbaz, The President’s Award for Courage in Conservation - Status of the Asiatic Cheetah Conservation Program Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gdURx5rS Congratulations to these incredible explorers, and thank you, Eric and Wendy Schmidt, for your support. We can’t wait to celebrate their accomplishments at our 122nd Annual Dinner on April 18.

Bid early, bid often, and bid high – our annual silent auction is back! Our 2026 Silent Auction is one of the most unique charity auctions in the world. Featuring trips from all over the world, artifacts picked up on expeditions, and other one-of-a-kind items you simply can’t find in stores–this auction is a reflection of The Explorers Club membership itself. Take a look, get inspired, and help us get a jump-start on our most important fundraiser of the year, the 122nd ECAD: Odysseys. Start bidding now https://lnkd.in/eSDRb23h All proceeds from the 2026 ECAD Silent Auction support our mission to promote exploration around the globe, including the preservation of our historic building and archives; sponsorship of a wide range of programs; and support for field grants and over 100 expeditions annually–in every ocean, on every continent, and in outer space! This auction is made possible by the generosity of our members, club supporters, and corporate donors. Thank you all! 📸 : Aqua Expeditions

We're proud to announce the winners of the Epics in Exploration Photo Contest 🎉 🏆 Our grand prize winner was Luciano Sapienza 📍 Taken 268 feet below the ice in Greenland "My mission directive was clear: photograph this ice bound plane 268 feet deep within the Greenland ice sheet as if it were a crime scene victim — and find at least one signature image before the team disassembled it, brought it to the surface, returned to the U.S. Glacier Girl was restored to flying condition with nearly 80% original parts and now flies at air shows as part of the Rod Lewis Air Legends Collection. "Danger loomed everywhere. Displaced engine oil and hydraulic fluid coated every surface. Chemical vapors stressed our breathing. The glacier cracked with explosive force — the kind of sound that stops your heart mid-beat. We knew that if the ceiling collapsed, there would be nothing we could do. It would be over before we could react. Slippery surfaces, sharp metal, deep crevasses, and live ammunition meant constant vigilance was not optional. Days earlier, a six-ton, six-by-six-by-six-foot block of ice had fallen from the ceiling exactly where I had placed my tripod for this image. "Our three-person team would spend a total of twelve hours “in the hole” as I photographed every detail from every angle. “Glacier Girl” would come to represent the dogged 11-year persistence and sacrifice it took to locate and recover this iconic P-38F-1-LO Lightning." - Luciano Sapienza See this year’s other incredible awardees at https://lnkd.in/esKeE5Ue The ECAD Photo Contest is proudly sponsored by NOMATIC

Dear Fellow Explorers, I am pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has elected Barbara Doran MR’15 as the 47th President of The Explorers Club. Barb has served as the Club's treasurer, served on the board, and is now set to become the third woman to lead the organization in our 122-year history. In Barbara Doran, we have elected a leader of exceptional capability. As our treasurer, she has brought rigor, transparency, and strategic thinking to the Club's financial stewardship. "I am deeply honored to lead an organization that has stood at the forefront of human discovery for more than a century," said Doran. "I want to thank Richard Wiese for his tireless years of service and unwavering dedication, and look forward to continuing to work closely together. His vision, energy, and commitment have strengthened our organization immeasurably, and I am grateful to build on the foundation he has laid. Together with our extraordinary members and partners around the world, we will continue to champion exploration of the natural world in its most expansive sense and to inspire the next generation of explorers." As we enter our 122nd year, The Explorers Club stands at an exciting inflection point. With new leadership, a clear strategic direction, and the continued engagement of our world-class membership, we are well positioned to advance our mission of scientific exploration and discovery. Thank you for your continued commitment to The Explorers Club. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Annual Dinner in April, where we will formally welcome Barb as our new president. Ad astra, Richard Wiese President, The Explorers Club Read more at https://lnkd.in/eEb38ngf

ECAD 2026 has sold out! Thank you to Club Members and our entire community for your historic support. We can’t wait to celebrate our incredible awardees at the best party on this planet, or any other. For Club Members who were unable to grab tickets, you can join the wait list here: https://lnkd.in/e5EDen4N All Members are welcome to join the free events at Club HQ and around NYC during ECAD weekend, as well as our Annual Meeting on Sunday. Schedule here: https://lnkd.in/ekjv65BR See you in April, james robinson VP for Corporate Outreach & Annual Dinner Chair

Each year, the EC50 recognizes fifty extraordinary people who are doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration. 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 tackling the hardest questions and challenges facing our world today. Each of these fifty visionaries has their own unique story, but each explorer similarly inspires wonder for our interconnected world, and hope for its future. 🇳🇿an astronomer turned biologist saving New Zealand’s birds 💧an aquaculturist empowering women of color ⛵︎ a master dhow builder 🩺an aerospace physiologist 🇬🇱an inuit archaeologist To read more about the other incredible honorees, visit 50.explorers.org Presented by ROLEX as part of their Perpetual Planet Initiative

Since 1904, The Explorers Club has recognized the world’s greatest explorers with exploration’s highest honors. The history of this Club is written in the legacy of the giants we celebrate. Join us for Odysseys, the 122nd Explorers Club Annual Dinner. Meet the newest class of explorers to join the pantheon, and celebrate the legacy of immortals. Announcing the 2026 Explorers Club Awardees: 🎖️ The Explorers Medal - Kris Tompkins, Tompkins Conservation 🔭 The Sylvia A. Earle Award for Exploration Excellence - SPHEREx Mission Team (Jamie Bock, Olivier Doré, John Wisniewski 🤿 The William Beebe Award for Underwater Exploration - James P. Delgado 🏅 The Edward C. Sweeney Medal - Dr. Janet L. Walsh ❤️ The President’s Award for Courage in Exploration - Morad Tahbaz 🌳 The President’s Award for Conservation in Exploration - Paul Tudor Jones 🧭 The New Explorer Award - Alexandra Climent 🧭 The New Explorer Award - Elodie Freymann 🧭 The New Explorer Award - Rebecca Hui Read more about this year’s amazing awardees here: https://lnkd.in/e_n2GxjN