National Geographic Adventure Magazine Names 2009's Adventurers of the Year

National Geographic Adventure Magazine Names 2009's Adventurers of the Year

Vote Online for First 'Adventurer of the Year: Readers' Choice Award'

WASHINGTON (Nov. 12, 2009)--National Geographic Adventure magazine has selected 16 individuals as 2009's Adventurers of the Year, recognizing extraordinary achievements in exploration, conservation, action sports and humanitarian work. The honorees are featured in the December 2009/January 2010 "Best of Adventure" issue of the magazine (on newsstands Nov. 24). A robust and interactive Best of Adventure Web portal with more than 100 pages of content also highlights the 2009 Adventurer of the Year honorees with in-depth feature profiles, exhilarating videos and photo galleries. This year, for the first time, readers can cast a vote online for the honoree they believe best embodies the spirit of adventure. The winner will receive the first-ever "Adventurer of the Year: Readers' Choice Award." Voting, at www.ngadventure.com, begins today and ends Jan. 15, 2010. The Readers' Choice winner will be announced online on Jan. 19, 2010.

A group of 30 explorers, scientists, journalists and luminaries in the world of adventure served on an advisory board for the nomination of this year's top adventurers. The class of 2009 includes a BASE jumper, military veterans, an explorer, road trippers, a surfer, an astronaut, an ultra runner, an educator, a filmmaker and a scientist. They are:

-Khadija Bahram, supported by the aid organization International Rescue Committee, guided an educational program that stretches across five provinces in war-torn Afghanistan reaching more than 10,000 pupils, mostly girls, as well as disabled children.
-Stephen Bouey and Steven Shoppman crossed 69 countries and racked up more than 77,000 miles during a two-and-a-half-year road trip that circumnavigated the globe by road.
-Maya Gabeira, the only sponsored female big-wave surfer in the world, surfed the largest wave by a woman ever, landing a 45-footer at South Africa's Dungeons break.
-John Grunsfeld, known as NASA's "Hubble Repairman," braved hurtling space debris to pull off the repair to end all repairs: Working at zero gravity some 350 miles above the surface of the Earth, the astronaut restored sight to a half-blind Hubble.
-Marc Hoffmeister, an injured Iraq veteran, organized a team of climbers, including his wife, Gayle Hoffmeister, his friend, Bob Haines, and injured vets Jon Kuniholm, Matt Nyman and David Shebib, to attempt the dangerous West Buttress route of Denali in Alaska.
-Albert Yu-Min Lin organized a high-risk, high-stakes project into Mongolia's "Forbidden Zone" to search for the lost tomb of Genghis Kahn, using state-of-the art, cutting-edge mapping technologies.
-Dean Potter recorded the longest BASE jump ever -- 2 minutes and 50 seconds -- while wearing a wingsuit that allowed him to cover some 9,000 vertical feet and nearly four horizontal miles in distance.
-Louie Psihoyos assembled an "Ocean's 11"-esque crew to expose and end the annual slaughter of hundreds of dolphins for meat in Taiji, Japan, a story told in the award-winning film "The Cove."
-Diane Van Deren, survivor of a successful lobectomy, became the first and only woman to complete the Yukon Arctic Ultra, a 430-mile run across frozen tundra in the dead of winter.
-Katey Walter Anthony mounted an expedition to Siberia to seek out and measure beds of thawing permafrost -- a major source of methane gas, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than CO2, yet is not factored into most climate change models.

The National Geographic Adventure Adventurers of the Year feature is presented and sponsored by South African Tourism, South African Airways and Budweiser American Ale.

About National Geographic Adventure
National Geographic Adventure, winner of four National Magazine Awards, is the fastest-growing magazine in the outdoor category and the ultimate guide to the adventure lifestyle. Published eight times a year, with a rate base of 625,000, National Geographic Adventure has
2.8 million readers. It is available by subscription (800-NGS-LINE) and on newsstands in the United States ($4.99) and Canada ($6.99). Its editorial mission supports National Geographic's mission to inspire people to care about the planet. The magazine's Web site is www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure.

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Contacts:
Ethan Fried
National Geographic Society
(202) 857-7037
efried@ngs.org

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THE PIMCO FOUNDATION SPONSORS FREE WEDNESDAY EVENINGS AT 'TERRA COTTA WARRIORS: GUARDIANS OF CHINA'S FIRST EMPEROR' EXHIBITION

THE PIMCO FOUNDATION SPONSORS FREE WEDNESDAY EVENINGS AT 'TERRA COTTA WARRIORS: GUARDIANS OF CHINA'S FIRST EMPEROR' EXHIBITION

WASHINGTON (Nov. 17, 2009)—The National Geographic Museum has partnered with The PIMCO Foundation to provide 200 free tickets to "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First support Emperor" each Wednesday evening during the exhibition's run from Nov. 19, 2009, to March 31, 2010. The PIMCO Foundation, an official sponsor of the exhibition, will also host a student preview day on Nov. 18 for 250 Washington, D.C., students and teachers. The PIMCO Foundation will also be a sponsor of the Chinese New Year festival at National Geographic on Feb. 6, 2010. Details of the festival will be available soon.

"We are thrilled to have The PIMCO Foundation's support of 'Terra Cotta Warriors,'" said Susan Norton, director of the National Geographic Museum. "In addition to the Foundation providing nearly 4,000 free exhibition tickets to the public during our Wednesday evening extended hours, the student preview will give some lucky local D.C. students a first look at these incredible treasures."

"We are pleased to sponsor the terra cotta warriors' final stop in the United States," said Mohamed El-Erian, The PIMCO Foundation's president. "This is one of the world's most important exhibitions, and we are thrilled to enhance the public's opportunity to see it." The PIMCO Foundation also sponsored the warriors' first stop in the United States, in Santa Ana, Calif.

The exhibition will be open for extended viewing hours on Wednesday evenings until 9 p.m. On these evenings, 200 free, same-day tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Distribution will begin at 5:30 p.m. for the 6 p.m. viewing, with a maximum distribution of two tickets per person.

"Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" provides an in-depth look at the enormous tomb complex of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi that contained thousands of terra cotta warriors intended to protect him in the afterlife. The warriors were discovered in 1974 by a group of farmers digging a well near Xi'an in Shaanxi province. When archaeologists began excavating the area, they uncovered a subterranean vault containing fragments of thousands of terra cotta figures in three large pits. More than 1,000 life-size figures have been restored as part of the site's ongoing excavation.

The exhibition features including nine terra cotta warriors, two musicians, a strongman, a court official, a stable attendant and a horse. The exhibition features 100 sets of artifacts in all, including weapons, stone armor, coins, jade ornaments, roof tiles and decorative bricks, and a bronze crane and swan. The National Geographic Museum is the final venue on the exhibition's two-year U.S. tour.

Timed and dated tickets can be purchased online at the Buy Tickets page of the exhibition Web site www.warriorsdc.org, by phone at (202) 857-7700 or at the National Geographic Museum ticket office, 1600 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Ticket prices are $12 for adults; $10 for seniors, students, military personnel and National Geographic members; and $6 for children ages 2-12. Prices for groups of 10 or more are $8 per ticket, and K-12 school groups are $6 per person with one free adult ticket for each group of 10 students. For more information on group sales, call (202) 857-7281. A companion audio tour will be available for $5.

On all days except Wednesdays, the exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Wednesdays, it will close at 9 p.m. The National Geographic Museum will be closed on Dec. 25. For more information, visit www.warriorsdc.org.

"Terra Cotta Warriors" is supported by American Airlines; Amtrak; Washington, D.C.'s Loews Madison Hotel; P.F. Chang's China Bistro; The PIMCO Foundation; UPS; Viking River Cruises; and WTOP.

The exhibition is co-organized by the Bowers Museum, Houston Museum of Natural Science and the National Geographic Museum and is guest curated by Dr. Albert E. Dien, professor emeritus, Stanford University.

The PIMCO Foundation is the corporate giving arm of PIMCO, one of the world's leading money management firms, headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., with offices in New York City, Amsterdam, London, Munich, Zurich, Tokyo, Toronto, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney. www.pimco.com.

The National Geographic Museum, located at 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., features a variety of changing exhibitions as well as permanent and interactive displays that reflect the richness and diversity of our world. The 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 works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 375 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 9,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

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Contacts:
Stephanie Montgomery
National Geographic
202-857-5838
smontgom@ngs.org

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CALLS ON KIDS TO DESIGN OCEAN FLAG

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CALLS ON KIDS TO DESIGN OCEAN FLAG

Top Designs to be Judged by Greats in Ocean Exploration

NEW YORK (Dec. 1, 2009)—National Geographic Kids and the National Geographic Society invite kids to create a flag to fly on a National Geographic research ship during the Ocean Now expedition in 2010. The Ocean Flag Contest aims to engage children in ocean exploration and conservation.

The online contest at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Ocean-flag-contest is open to kids ages 8 to 14 and will be judged by renowned ocean researchers Robert Ballard, Sylvia Earle, Enric Sala, David de Rothschild and Nancy Knowlton. The judges will pick the top 10 designs, and kids will then vote online for the winning design. The winning flag will be hoisted above the National Geographic Ocean Now expedition ship in 2010. The winner will receive a patch bearing his/her flag design, as well as select National Geographic books and DVDs. The contest runs until Feb. 20, 2010, and the winner will be announced online in April 2010.

"As we continue our expeditions in 2010, we hope to engage children in the dialogue about conservation and inspire them to enjoy and care for the ocean," said Sala. "We need everyone's help, but children are especially important. The future of the ocean depends on their involvement now and throughout their lives."

For design inspiration, the National Geographic Kids Web site features amazing articles, photos and videos of the world under the sea, including a Q&A with Sala, a shark quiz and fun facts about leatherback turtles, jellyfish, coral reefs and underwater exploration.

The National Geographic's Ocean Now expeditions are an exploration, research and conservation project to find, survey and help protect the last healthy, undisturbed places in the ocean. By studying how marine ecosystems work without human interference, we can learn how to help healthy reefs thrive, help unhealthy reefs recover and better preserve the ocean, which covers more than two-thirds of our planet.

The Ocean Now team is working with local marine scientists and conservation organizations to document these aquatic ecosystems. The data, they hope, will help establish new scientific baselines for intact — and critically important — environments. Information about recent expeditions can be found at http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/content/about-the-expedition/.

To enter the Ocean Flag Contest, kids must create a design for a flag on plain paper not exceeding 8 ? x 11 inches in size. The design must represent ocean exploration and the protection of ocean ecosystems. Entrants also must write an essay, not exceeding 250 words, describing what inspired their design. The contest is open only to legal residents of the United States (excluding residents of Puerto Rico) who were 8 to14 years of age as of Nov. 1, 2009.
Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 20, 2010. Complete rules and details are online at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Ocean-flag-contest.

Kids.nationalgeographic.com, the Web site of National Geographic Kids magazine, is the online destination for all the quality kids content produced by National Geographic and is tied to the mission of inspiring kids to care about the planet — and the people, places and animals on it. From a brand trusted by both parents and educators, kids.nationalgeographic.com and its companion Web site for younger kids, littlekids.nationalgeographic.com, feature high-quality videos, stunning photographs, animal profiles and interactive games.

Nationalgeographic.com is the award-winning Web site of the National Geographic Society and attracts 13 million unique visitors a month. Nationalgeographic.com combines National Geographic's video, photography and maps with in-depth information and interactive features about animals, science, nature, the environment, destinations and cultures. Nationalgeographic.com's news service, National Geographic News, publishes daily stories about science and discoveries around the globe.

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Contacts:
Caryn Davidson
National Geographic
212-610-3808
cdavidso@ngs.org

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