Esmond B. Martin was a renowned American geographer and conservationist who passed away in 2018 in tragic circumstances.
Read his obituary in the Geographical Journal
Esmond left an endowment for the Society to award an annual prize in his name - the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize. The Prize consists of one or two annual prizes that recognise outstanding achievement by individuals (not organisations) in the pursuit and/or application of geographical research across the breadth of the discipline, with a particular emphasis on wildlife conservation and environmental research studies.
The Society dedicates one Monday night lecture per year to an event that marks the Prize and sees it awarded.
2024 Prize
The call for nominations for the 2024 Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize is open.
To nominate someone for the 2024 Prize, please read the full guidelines before completing the nomination form.
The deadline for all nominations is Friday 15 December 2023.
Inaugural Prize recipient
The inaugural Prize was awarded on Monday 3 April 2023 to Dr Paula Kahumbu, a Kenyan biologist and ecologist, and an inspiring and committed advocate for international wildlife conservation in Africa. For over 35 years Paula has shown outstanding achievements in the application of innovative conservation practice, knowledge and education, with far reaching impact across Africa. Her vision is to change the narrative, so Africans become the primary storytellers about African wildlife and the future of community conservation.
Read more about Paula and her work
Watch Paula receive the Prize (Fellows and Members only)
Watch Paula talk about her work and what being awarded the Prize means to her: