National Geographic Society Names 15 Changemakers for the 2026 Wayfinder Award Presented by Kia

The National Geographic Society has announced the 15 recipients of the 2026 Wayfinder Award presented by Kia, honoring leaders in science, conservation, education and storytelling from six continents. From Haiti to Mongolia and the Great Lakes, the cohort joins the Society’s community of National Geographic Explorers.

The National Geographic Society has named the 15 recipients of the 2026 Wayfinder Award, an annual honor presented by Kia that recognizes visionaries advancing science, conservation, education, technology and storytelling. Announced June 9, 2026 from Washington, D.C., this year's cohort spans six continents and joins the Society's global community of National Geographic Explorers.

What the Wayfinder Award Recognizes

The Wayfinder Award is extended each year to 15 leaders whose work, in the words of the National Geographic Society, furthers its mission to "illuminate and protect the wonder of our world." This year's honorees were celebrated for developing innovative technologies, undertaking rigorous fieldwork, and shifting cultural narratives in pursuit of a more vibrant and resilient planet — from discovering novel microbes to bridging ancestral astronomical traditions with modern science.

Alex Moen, the Society's chief explorer engagement officer, said the recipients are "united by boundless curiosity and an active commitment to inspiring people to care about the world around them," noting that their work spans fields as diverse as continental rifting and wildlife safety on highways and railways. Each new honoree is welcomed into the Society's community of National Geographic Explorers.

The award is presented by Kia as a key pillar of its Accelerate the Good program, an initiative that has contributed more than $55 million to environmental and social impact causes. Russell Wager, vice president of marketing at Kia America, said the automaker was "thrilled to support these Explorers," praising their "shared talent for sparking a deeper sense of appreciation and responsibility for our planet."

Conservation and Wildlife Protection

A large share of the 2026 class works on the front lines of species and habitat protection, often partnering with the communities who share the landscape:

• Anne-Isabelle Bonifassi (Conservation Biologist, Haiti) — protects Haiti's last primary forests and restores ecosystems that sustain the Caribbean's most threatened species, strengthening local stewardship to prevent extinctions.
• Farina Othman (Conservation Scientist, Malaysia) — combines field research, spatial analysis and community engagement to protect the endangered Bornean elephant, translating research into equitable solutions.
• Fernanda Abra (Road Ecologist, Brazil) — develops science-based solutions to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, working with government agencies, universities and Indigenous communities to enable thousands of safe crossings for arboreal mammals, including endangered primates.
• Nyambayar Batbayar (Wildlife Biologist, Mongolia) — advances wildlife research and science-based conservation across Mongolia, protecting numerous endangered species and their habitats.
• Purnima Devi Barman (Wildlife Biologist, India) — protects one of the world's most endangered storks through the "Hargila Army," a grassroots movement of more than 20,000 women whose work has become a rare, globally recognized conservation success story.

Earth, Climate and Animal Science

Other honorees probe the planet's physical and ecological systems, from the fracturing of continents to the behavior of animal societies and the challenges of a changing climate:

• Binbin Wang (Climate Practitioner and Researcher, China) — works at the heart of China's evolving global climate role, advancing "civilization-based solutions" grounded in traditional and local knowledge.
• Damien Farine (Behavioral Ecologist, Australia) — studies animals' social networks and collective behavior and how they shape movement, health and survival, while mentoring early-career scientists.
• Folarin Kolawole (Geologist, Nigeria) — investigates how the Earth's crust fractures and separates to create new oceanic basins; his East African research reveals where the breaking of continents begins and how slipping faults reshape landscapes and trigger earthquakes, inspiring a new generation of African earth scientists.
• Salma Sabour (Climate Adaptation Scientist, Morocco) — uses rigorous science to drive locally-led climate action, serving as director of science and interdisciplinarity for the Explorer-led project Preserving Legacies, which helps communities safeguard cultural heritage sites against climate change.

Ocean and Freshwater Exploration

Two recipients are expanding how the planet's waters are studied, documented and shared:

• Silindile Mbuyazi (Dive Instructor and Marine Educator, South Africa) — a dual-certified PADI and SSI dive instructor working to shift cultural narratives about the sea and improve water safety; her leadership has trained more than 150 African conservationists, scientists and underwater filmmakers to dive.
• Yvonne Drebert (Underwater Filmmaker, Canada) — uses advanced underwater drones to reveal the unseen depths of freshwater systems, leading expeditions across the Great Lakes — the world's largest freshwater system — while championing lower-impact research methods.

Science Communication, Education and Storytelling

The class also celebrates leaders who broaden who gets to participate in science and how its stories are told:

• Anne A. Madden (Microbiologist and Science Communicator, United States) — illuminates the invisible world of microbes and their potential to address major human challenges; she founded The Microbe Institute, a nonprofit working to democratize microbial discovery.
• Karlie Noon (Indigenous Astronomer, Australia) — an astrophysicist and descendant of the Gamilaroi and Wiradjuri nations, and the first Indigenous woman in Australia to earn degrees in both mathematics and physics; her work bridges astronomy with Indigenous knowledge systems.
• Louise Archer (Social Scientist, United Kingdom) — an education researcher advancing equity in global STEM education, author of more than 180 academic publications, whose work has enhanced learning opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young people.
• Paolo Woods (Photographer and Curator, Italy) — a documentary photographer and curator and two-time World Press Photo winner whose work investigating the contemporary world has appeared in major museums and in outlets including The New York Times, Le Monde and The Guardian.

About the National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of the world. Since 1888, it has invested in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through its education offerings, and engaging global audiences through its stories and experiences.

Kia, headquartered in Irvine, California, was recognized as one of TIME's World's Most Sustainable Companies of 2025 and serves as the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA and WNBA. Its support for the Wayfinder Award reflects a shared commitment with the Society to championing innovators leading the planet toward a more sustainable future.

Why This Matters

The 2026 Wayfinder Award spotlights a global, cross-disciplinary group whose impact reaches well beyond a single field or country — from Haiti's forests and Mongolia's grasslands to the depths of the Great Lakes and the fracturing crust of East Africa. By elevating these 15 changemakers and welcoming them into its Explorer community, the National Geographic Society is betting that curiosity, fieldwork and storytelling, backed by partners like Kia, can move the needle on conservation, climate resilience and equity in science. For anyone who follows the work of National Geographic, this year's class is a reminder of how broad — and how human — modern exploration has become.