Following the recommendation of the IGU Honors and Awards Committee, chaired by former IGU President Professor Ron Abler, we are delighted to announce the winners of our 2026 awards. Congratulations to our worth winners!

The IGU Lauréats d’honneur, which recognizes individuals who have achieved particular distinction, or who have rendered outstanding service in the work of the IGU or in international geography is awarded to:

    KNOWLES, Richard (United Kingdom)
    KWAN, Mei-Po (China-Hong Kong)
    MATSUMOTO, Jun (Japan)

The IGU Distinguished Practice Award recognizes geographers whose work in research, geographical practice, or application is notable for its outstanding engagement and collaboration with diverse non-academic communities, and is awarded to:

    CHEN, MIN (China-Beijing)
    LAHIRI-DUTT, Kuntala (Australia)
    ROMERO ARAVENA, Hugo Iván (Chile)
    ROWE-GONZALEZ, Francisco Javier (United Kingdom)

IGU Early Career Awards recognizes outstanding, innovative young geographers. Eligibility for the IGU Early Career Award in Geography is restricted to individuals who received an earned terminal degree within the last ten years.  The awardees are:

    KAN, Zihan (China-Hong Kong)
    LIU, Dong (China-Beijing)
    SI, Qiao (China-Beijing)
    TADAKI, Marc (New Zealand)