Recipients of IGU Honors and Awards, 1976-2022

The IGU Planet and Humanity Medal was created to honour individuals (not necessarily geographers) who have made outstanding contributions to peace, welfare or sustainability.

The IGU Lauréat d’Honneur was established to recognize individuals who have achieved particular distinction or who have rendered outstanding service in the work of the IGU or in international geography and environmental research.

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

The IGU Early Career Award was established to recognize outstanding researchers who have completed their education in Geography no more than ten years before their nomination.

The Mattei Dogan Foundation Prize in Human Geography was to be conferred upon an internationally accomplished and renowned geographer in recognition of his or her exceptional scholarly achievements in international human geography over an extended period of time or during his or her lifetime. (Discontinued)

Recipients of the International Geographical Union Planet and Humanity Medal

  • Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norway, 1996
  • Al Gore, USA, 1996
  • C. Pierret, France, 2000
  • M. Robinson, Ireland, 2000
  • M. S. Swaminathan, India, 2000
  • N. R. Mandela, South Africa, 2002
  • M. Gorbachev, Russia, 2004
  • Martti Ahtisaari, Finland, 2010
  • Lester R. Brown, USA, 2012
  • Carl Folke, Sweden, 2016
  • Jack Dangermond, USA, 2021
  • Greta Thunberg, Sweden, 2022

Recipients of the International Geographical Union Lauréat d’honneur

  • I. P. Gerasimov, USSR, 1976
  • C. D. Harris, USA, 1976
  • J. Dresch, France, 1980
  • S. Kiuchi, Japan, 1980
  • T. Hägerstrand, Sweden, 1984
  • M. J. Wise, UK, 1984
  • J. Beaujeu-Garnier, France, 1988
  • S. Leszczycki, Poland, 1988
  • O. H. K. Spate, Australia, 1988
  • G. White, USA, 1988
  • P. Haggett, UK, 1992
  • J. Kostrowicki, Poland, 1992
  • A. Mabogunje, Nigeria, 1992
  • W. Manshard, Germany, 1992
  • Y. Verhasselt, Belgium, 1996
  • H. Brookfield, Australia, 1996
  • Huang Bin-Wie, China, 1996
  • L. Curry, Canada, 2000
  • Yi-Fu Tuan, USA, 2000
  • M. Yoshino, Japan, 2000
  • P. Claval, France, 2004
  • R. Kates, USA, 2004
  • M.T.G. de McGregor, Mexico, 2004
  • M. Shafi, India, 2004
  • H.J. Walker, USA, 2004
  • A.G. Wilson, UK, 2004
  • M.S. Abulezz, Egypt, 2008
  • Hartwig Haubrich, Germany, 2008
  • György Enyedi, Hungary, 2008
  • Leszek A. Kosinski, Poland, 2008
  • Herman Th. Verstappen, Netherlands, 2008
  • Vladimir Kotlyakov, Russia, 2008
  • Larry S. Bourne, Canada, 2012
  • Mohammad S. I. Makki, Saudi Arabia, 2012
  • Janice J. Monk, USA, 2012
  • Hiroshi Tanabe, Japan, 2012
  • A. J. Ton Dietz, Netherlands, 2013
  • Ian Burton, Canada, 2016
  • Maria Dolors Garcia-Ramon, Spain, 2016
  • Benno Werlen, Germany, 2016
  • Richard Le Heron, New Zealand, 2018
  • Robyn Longhurst, New Zealand, 2018
  • Atsuyuki Okabe, Japan, 2018
  • Ronald F. Abler, USA, 2018
  • Yoshitaka Ishikawa, Japan, 2020
  • Joos Droogleever-Fortuijn, Netherlands, 2020
  • Eckart Ehlers, Germany 2021
  • Helen Kerfoot, Canada, 2021
  • Kath Berg, Australia, 2022
  • Alan Lew, USA, 2022
  • Yuji Murayama, Japan, 2022
  • Qin Dahe, China, 2022

International Geographical Union Distinguished Practice Award

  • Liu Yansui, China, 2022
  • Ono Yuho, Japan, 2022
  • Rachel Pain, UK, 2022
  • Bruce Thom, Australia, 2022

International Geographical Union Early Career Award

  • Kubo Tomoko, Japan, 2022
  • Lim Kean Fan, UK, 2022
  • Wang Shuai, China, 2022
  • Yang Yuanyuan, China, 2022
  • Komali Yenneti, UK, 2022

Mattei Dogan Foundation Prize in Human Geography (discontinued)

  • Herman van der Wusten, Netherlands, 2008