Since 1914, The Explorers Club has recognized the world’s greatest explorers with exploration’s highest honors.

Greely, Amundsen, Nansen — Piccard, Armstrong, Heyerdahl — Goodall, Leakey, Hillary & Norgay — Roosevelt, Sullivan, Walsh — the history of this Club is written in the legacy of the giants whom we celebrate.

As we announce the newest class of awardees, honor their place in the history of human exploration, and celebrate them at our 121st Annual Dinner – April 26, 2025, we are thrilled that EC50 2024 member Rosa Vásquez Espinoza will be receiving the New Explorer Award.

The New Explorer Award is granted to inspiring young explorers, in the fields of physical, biological, and natural sciences, engineering, and resource conservation. 

Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, Ph.D., a Peruvian chemical biologist of Andean-Amazonian heritage, bridges cutting-edge science and indigenous knowledge to protect Amazonian biodiversity, inspired by her grandmother’s wisdom as a healer. Rosa serves as the International Ashaninka Ambassador and was included in the BBC’s “100 Women 2024” list. Rosa was also named to the EC50 Class of 2024. As the founder of Amazon Research Int (ARI), she partners with native communities to uncover the rainforest’s untapped biodiversity and advocates for global conservation through science, the Rights of Nature, and storytelling. Her groundbreaking achievements include pioneering microbial exploration of the Amazonian Boiling River and conducting the first chemical analysis of Amazonian stingless bees and medicinal honey in Peru. Learn more about Rosa and her work here.

See the full list of Explorers Club Annual Awardees here.

See the full ECAD Weekend Schedule here.