WASHINGTON (Nov. 21, 2011)—National Geographic has announced the launch of its annual online competition for the People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year for 2012. Nominees include 12 individuals whose extraordinary achievements in exploration, conservation and adventure sports have distinguished them in the past year. Fans can go to http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2012/ for more information about each nominee and to vote every day for their favorite. Online voting begins today. The People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year will be announced after online voting ends on Jan. 18, 2012.
This year’s nominees are:
- Jennifer Pharr Davis — American hiker
- Alastair Humphreys — British adventurer
- Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner — Austrian mountaineer
- Danny MacAskill — Scottish cyclist
- Carissa Moore — American surfer
- Travis Rice — American snowboarder
- Cory Richards — American mountaineer-photographer
- Sano Babu Sunuwar and Lakpa Chhiri Sherpa — Nepali kayaker and mountaineer
- Jon Turk and Erik Boomer — American kayakers
- Nick Waggoner — American skier-filmmaker
“With the help of our advisory board, we’ve found the most incredible adventure accomplishments worldwide in 2011, spanning from the tallest mountaintops to the sea,” said Mary Anne Potts, editor of Adventure online. “These extraordinary men and women exemplify the spirit of adventure in their commitment to exploration and innovation. Each one is truly inspiring. We leave it to the fans to determine who will be the People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year.”
This year, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the exclusive sponsor of the Adventurer of the Year and is partnering with National Geographic to reach the widest online audience possible.
Over the past seven years, National Geographic has cast a wide net to find the Adventurers of the Year, each selected for his or her extraordinary achievement in exploration, conservation and adventure sports. In 2011, the partnership with Glenfiddich Single Malt promises to bring an added level of excitement to the proceedings. The feats of each of this year’s nominees embody pioneering innovation — from reinventing distance hiking and circumnavigating frigid Ellesmere Island to skiing the Andes on human power and launching a backyard micro adventure movement.
“We are delighted to be partnering with National Geographic,” said Lindsay Prociw, senior brand manager for Glenfiddich. “Both Glenfiddich and National Geographic are established pioneers within their industries, and, as we gear up to celebrate our respective 125th anniversaries, we are honored to be able to celebrate and reward those who are keeping the spirit of a pioneer alive.”
To learn more about each adventurer through in-depth profiles and photographs and to vote every day for the People’s Choice Adventurer of the Year, go to http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2012/.
About National Geographic
National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. National Geographic reflects the world through its magazines, television programs, website and other digital products, films, music and radio, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 9,600 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geography literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.
Nationalgeographic.com is the award-winning website of the National Geographic Society, and attracts 15 million unique visitors a month. Adventure.nationalgeographic.com is its adventure and extreme sports online hub. Nationalgeographic.com combines National Geographic’s video, photography, content and maps with in-depth information and interactive features about animals, nature, destinations, explorers and adventurers, and cultures. Information about advertising on Nationalgeographic.com is at nationalgeographic.com/about/advertising.
About Glenfiddich
Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky, is generally recognized as being one of the true pioneers in the field of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The Glenfiddich distillery, located in Dufftown, in Scotland’s Speyside region, was built in 1886 by William Grant, with the help of his seven sons and two daughters. To this day, Glenfiddich remains an independent, family-owned company run by the fifth generation of William Grant’s family. This independence allows the distillery creative freedom to continue to innovate and set the standard against which the rest of the category is measured. Generally recognized as having pioneered the single malt category in 1963, when it introduced the first range of non-blended malts, Glenfiddich to this day retains the pioneering tradition established by William Grant, making it the proud recipient of nearly 200 international awards since 1998 and making it the number one selling Single Malt Whisky in the world. The Glenfiddich range includes the core 12 (40% ABV; RRP $45.99), 15 (40% ABV; RRP $54.99), 18 (40% ABV; RRP $84.99) and 21 Year Old (40% ABV; RRP %154.99) expressions, as well as a series of rare and precious expressions, including the renowned Glenfiddich 50 Year Old, a bottle of which sold in 2009 for a staggering $38,000. For more information, visit www.glenfiddich.com.
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s fourth-largest blended Scotch Grant’s® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and the award-winning Milagro® Tequila.
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