Posts in “Hands-On Explorer Challenge” Category

The winners of the 2012 Hands-On Explorer Challenge have been chosen! Visit kids.nationalgeographic.com to read excerpts from their essays and see their winning photos.

The expedition to Montana begins on July 6. Visit the blog to learn more and get updates from Montana expedition team!

The 2012 Hands-On Explorer Contest is now closed. No new entries will be accepted by the judges. It's time to wait to find out who won!

Read the contest rules and find out how to enter.

Looking for inspiration? Read excerpts from the 2010 Hands-On Explorer Challenge winning essays.

On August 23, a 40-year-old woman named Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner from Austria climbed to the top of K2 (Earth's second-tallest mountain). With this ascent, Kaltenbrunner has become the first woman to climb all of the world's 8,000-meter (26,246-foot) peaks without using extra oxygen. That's 14 climbs in all!

Read more about Kaltenbrunner's expedition on National Geographic's News Watch blog.

The winners of the 2011 Hands-On Explorer Challenge have been chosen! Visit kids.nationalgeographic.com to read excerpts from their essays and see their winning photos.

The expedition to the Cayman Islands starts on July 8. Visit the blog to learn more and get updates from the Cayman Islands expedition team!

During the judging phase (going on now), we will not be posting comments about the 2011 Hands-On Explorer Challenge. We will resume posting comments about the HOEC after the winners are announced.

National Geographic Adventure has chosen their ten Adventurers of the Year. Readers are now encouraged to vote for their favorites for the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. One of the adventurers is only 12 years old: Matt Moniz, a mountain climber. Matt's big 2010 adventure was this summer. In less than two months, Matt climbed the highest point in all 50 states with his dad.

Matt thinks it's really important that kids get outside. "It's important to try to encourage kids to go outside and protect public land. In another 30 years, if we had a president who just grew up in the city and played video games all his life, he might not be as focused on protecting our land," he says.

What was your best adventure in 2010? Leave a comment below and tell us!

Read about all of the 2010 nominees, then vote for your favorite on National Geographic Adventure.

Want to read more about kids having adventures? Check out the Global Bros blog.

Photograph courtesy Matt Moniz

The 2011 Hands-On Explorer Contest is now closed. No new entries will be accepted by the judges. It's time to wait to find out who won!

The 2011 Hands-On Explorer Challenge is in full swing. If you're a legal resident of the United States (excluding residents of Puerto Rico) or Canada (excluding residents of Quebec), and you will be between the ages of 9 and 15 by July 1, 2011, you could win a trip to the Cayman Islands! Remember to submit your entry before December 1, 2010.

Read the contest rules and find out how to enter.

Looking for inspiration? Read excerpts from the 2009 Hands-On Explorer Challenge winning essays.

Check out the winning photographs from the 2009 Hands-On Explorer Challenge!


Photograph courtesy Cayman Islands Department of Tourism