The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), an advocacy group focused on the world’s coldest and most remote region, has received the 2025 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. The 1 million euro ($1.17 million) award, presented by the Portugal-based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, recognizes the coalition’s decades-long efforts to preserve Antarctica’s ecological integrity and protect the Southern Ocean.
Selected from 212 nominees across 115 countries, ASOC was honored for its leadership in science-based advocacy and international diplomacy at a time when Antarctica faces mounting threats. The prize jury, chaired by former German chancellor Angela Merkel, cited ASOC as a demonstration that “global collaboration is possible,” adding that the coalition “inspires hope for generations to come.”
Founded in 1978, ASOC represents a network of more than 20 environmental organizations from more than 10 countries. It remains the only environmental NGO granted observer status at Antarctic Treaty meetings, giving it direct access to the intergovernmental processes that govern the continent and its surrounding seas.
“Antarctica may seem distant, but it is central to the planet’s health and future,” ASOC executive director Claire Christian said in a statement. “This recognition affirms the power of collective action and the vital importance of protecting the Antarctic and Southern Ocean.”
Among ASOC’s top priorities is the creation of new marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Weddell Sea, East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. While these proposals are backed by strong scientific evidence, they continue to face opposition, primarily from Russia and China, at meetings of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
The organization also advocates for stronger regulation of tourism, which now brings more than 120,000 visitors to the continent annually, most to the Antarctic Peninsula — one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth. ASOC has urged governments to carry insights from Antarctic science into broader global climate policy, including efforts at the United Nations to implement more ambitious carbon emissions restrictions.
This year’s prize coincides with the launch of the U.N.’s Decade of Action for Cryospheric Science (2025-2034) and the designation of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. It reflects growing recognition of the role of the cryosphere, Earth’s frozen regions, in regulating climate, from sea-level rise to ocean circulation.
“The Antarctic and Southern Ocean embodies the essence of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity,” said António Feijó, president of the foundation’s board of trustees. “Their work reminds us why protecting the most remote places on Earth is essential to safeguarding our shared future.”
Banner image: King penguin in Antarctica. Photo by N. Butler / Mongabay
