Ness Award
The Ness Award is an annual award of the Royal Geographical Society to travellers, particularly those who have successfully popularised Geography and the wider understanding of our world and its environments. It was established in 1953 and named after Mrs Patrick Ness, an intrepid and well-to-do traveller throughout Africa and the first female Fellow of the Society.
Mrs Patrick Ness was born Elizabeth Wilhelmina Miller in Brighton in 1881 and married Patrick Powell Ness in 1903. She accompanied her husband to Kenya before the First World War and then returned alone in 1920, when she made several epic journeys across the African and Asian continents. In 1923 she crossed the Syrian Desert, in 1927 she travelled from Khartoum to Nairobi and on via the Congo to the Cape, the first European woman to travel on Lake Kivu. She later wrote a book of her adventures entitled ''Ten Thousand Miles in Two Continents''
Recipients
Source:| Year | Name | Citation |
| 1954 | Charles W.M. Swithinbank | for research in Antarctic glaciology |
| 1955 | Ernest Frederick Roots | For being a Senior Geologist in the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1949-52 |
| 1956 | Mr. Robert Dovers | For being in charge of the survey party which completed the first map of Heard Island. |
| 1957 | Mr. J. B. Heaney | For being the leader of the Gough Island Scientific Survey, 1956. |
| 1958 | Anthony Gerald Bomford | For his work as Chief Surveyor of the South Georgia Survey, 1955-6. |
| 1959 | J. Homes Miller George W. Marsh | Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition |
| 1960 | Raymond John Adie | For his many contributions to Antarctic geology. |
| 1961 | Robin Hanbury-Tenison | For their very enterprising and adventurous pioneer journey of 6000 miles by jeep across South America, completed in 1959. |
| 1962 | Dr. Hal Lister | For his valuable work in glaciological research both in the Arctic and the Antarctic |
| 1963 | John Baird Tyson | For Himalayan mapping and survey and for his leadership of expeditions to India and the Himalayas. |
| 1964 | Dennis Alexander Ardus | For their explorations in the Halley Bay region of Antarctica. |
| 1965 | David Stoddart | For his investigations on coral cays in South and Central America. |
| 1966 | Mr E. C. Evans and Mr. J. P. M. Long | For journeys among and studies of the Aborigines and their habitat in west central Australia. |
| 1967 | Peter Opie-Smith | for geodetic surveys in the Solomon Islands |
| 1968 | Wing-Commander C. R. Alexander | For being the leader of the Joint Services expedition to west central Australia. |
| 1969 | Mr. Graham Clarke | For being the commander of SRN6 Hovercraft and for his skill, courage and resource which brought the expedition through to a successful conclusion. |
| 1970 | Dr John D Thornes | For his hydrological and geomorphological fieldwork in the Amazonas and Northern Mato Grosso expeditions. |
| 1971 | Lieutenant Colonel J D C Peacock | For leading the Northern Peary Land expedition which contributed substantially to our knowledge of a little-known region, especially in geology and mapping. |
| 1972 | Major David N Hall | For leading the British Expedition to the Air Mountains, 1970, for Saharan exploration. |
| 1973 | Dr D J Moffat | For being a member of the Royal Society/Royal Geographical Society's Brazil Expedition 1967-70. |
| 1974 | Colonel J M Adam OBE, OStJ, FRCP Ian Douglas Hamilton | For contributions to exploration medicine. For zoological investigations in East Africa. |
| 1975 | Adrian Thompson | For botanical and other surveys in Guyana. |
| 1976 | Squadron Leader Tom Sheppard MBE | For expeditions in the Sahara and contributions to desert navigation. |
| 1977 | Lieutenant Colonel Harry R A Streather OBE | For leadership of the British Army/Royal Nepalese Army Mount Everest Expedition, and other mountaineering achievements. |
| 1978 | Miss F A Street | For studies of geomorphology in Ethiopia. |
| 1979 | Nigel de Northop Winser | For leadership and organization of expeditions |
| 1980 | Richard Snailham | For fieldwork and expeditions |
| 1981 | Chief Petty Officer S R Williams | For recognition of his leadership of the Joint Services Expedition to the Princess Marie Bay. |
| 1982 | Miss Shane Wesley-Smith | For administration, in the field, of expedition projects. |
| 1983 | Roger Chapman MBE | For his organization and leadership of expeditions |
| 1984 | Andy Eavis | For leadership of speleological exploration |
| 1985 | Paul Vander-Molen | For exploration leadership and the introduction of microlite aircraft as an exploration tool. |
| 1986 | Dr Caroline Sargeant | For making remarkable studies of Bhutan's forest and flowers, and thus an important contribution to conservation in the Himalayan kingdom. |
| 1987 | Miss Nicola Bennett-Jones SRN | For unselfish service in medical support of the RGS projects in Mulu, Kora and Wahiba. |
| 1988 | Dr John Matthews | For leadership of glaciological expeditions. |
| 1989 | Steve Bowles | For leadership of the 'Projeto Amazonas' expedition and field leadership of the Maraca Rainforest Project. |
| 1990 | Dick Willis | For contributions to speleology |
| 1991 | Dr Richard Crane | For bicycle expeditions and encouragement of youth exploration. |
| 1992 | Mandip Singh Soin | For mountaineering and polar expeditions and encouragement of youth exploration. |
| 1993 | Michael Asher | For desert expeditions and work with camels |
| 1994 | Alasdair Kennedy | For contributions to youth expeditions |
| 1995 | Paul Salaman | For expeditionary fieldwork in Colombia |
| 1996 | Major Alastair Rogers | For organisation of research expeditions |
| 1997 | John Birdsall | For contributions to travelling and exploration for those with disabilities. |
| 1998 | Michael Palin | In recognition of his travels leading to a wider public appreciation of the world |
| 1999 | David Grey Rattray | For recognition of widening the popular understanding of Zulu cultures of South Africa. |
| 2000 | Nick Danziger | For recognition of raising the public understanding of contemporary social, political and environmental issues through documentary films and photography |
| 2001 | Peter Drake | For recognition of encouraging geographical fieldwork by young people through overseas expeditions |
| 2002 | Nick Middleton | For recognition of widening the public enthusiasm for Geography through travel writing. |
| 2003 | Ray Mears | For contributions to the popularization of Geography |
| 2004 | John Hare | for raising public awareness and conservation of endangered wild camels in Mongolia and China |
| 2005 | Neil Laughton | for leadership of expeditions and encouraging others to recognise their potential as travellers |
| 2006 | John Pilkington | for the popularisation of geography and the wider understanding of our world |
| 2007 | Paul Rose | for supporting and promoting the popular understanding of geography |
| 2008 | David Wright | for the popularisation of geography among young people |
| 2009 | Neil Oliver | for popularising and promoting understanding of the British coastal landscape |
| 2010 | Professor Iain Stewart | for popularising geography and earth sciences |
| 2011 | Colin Thubron CBE | for popularising geography through travel writing |
| 2012 | Simon Reeve | for popularising geography through television travel documentaries and writing |
| 2013 | Wade Davis | for popularising geography through writing about places, cultures and history |
| 2014 | Nicholas Crane | for popularising geography and the understanding of Britain |
| 2015 | Robert Macfarlane | in recognition of his work in communicating 'geography to a wide public by means of writing about nature, landscape and place |
| 2016 | Andrea Wulf | for popularising the histories of geography and of scientific botanical exploration via her book The Invention of Nature |
| 2017 | Kathleen Jamie | for outstanding creative writing at the confluence of travel, nature and culture |
| 2018 | Rory Stewart, MP | for the popularisation of geography through the media |
| 2019 | Dervla Murphy | for the popularisation of geography through travel literature |
| 2020 | Nancy Campbell | For the popularisation of geography through poetry and non-fiction writing |
| 2021 | Isabella Tree | For the popularisation of geography through her writing on biodiversity and the relation between humans and the environment |
| 2022 | Lemn Sissay | for his long-standing contributions to popularising geography and promoting insightful understandings of our world. |
| 2023 | Alastair Humphreys | For long-standing contributions to promoting a greater understanding of our world and wider public engagement with the outdoors |
| 2024 | Colonel Chris Hadfield | For excellence in the practise and promotition of teaching in higher education |