SGS International Award

The SGS International Award is presented annually to foreign people, companies, or entities that have distinguished themselves through their work towards publicizing geography and travel and understanding different cultures through travel in accordance with the objectives that the Spanish Geographic Society proposes in its articles of association.

2004. To Reinhold Messner, a climber, alpinist and explorer who has been described as the greatest mountaineer ever. He introduced the so-called "alpine style," and was the first man to reach the summit of Everest without oxygen and to conquer the fourteen 8000 meter peaks on the planet.

2003. To Sydney Possuelo. This year the award was presented to the Brazilian indigenist and director of the Department of Isolated Indians of the Indian Foundation of Brazil for his permanent commitment to preserving the Brazilian Amazon and for his work in defense of isolated Indians in the Amazon for nearly half a century.

2002. To the Compañía de Jesús, (Company of Jesus) for its exploratory work over the past few centuries.

2 001. Biruté Galdikas, for her thirty years of dedication to the study of orangutans in their natural habitat of Indonesia .

1999. Maurice Herzog, French climber, humanist, writer and politician for his continual and praiseworthy efforts of determination and self-sacrifice to increase geographic and human awareness of the world in which we live.

1998. Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian investigator and navigator for his contribution to the discovery of the transoceanic geography of humankind.