2026 France Habe Prize
The Karst and Cave Protection Commission of the International Union of Speleology (UIS) is pleased to announce the opening of the France HABE Prize 2026.
The prize is named in memory and in honor of Dr. France HABE from Slovenia (Yugoslavia), Past President of the Protection Department of the UIS (1973 -1997).
The purpose of this prize, endowed with 300€, is to promote the protection of karst and caves. Their natural heritage is an increasingly rich source of reliable information about the history of our planet and humanity, allowing us to act in a more thoughtful, effective, and sustainable way for the future of our environment.
This year, the prize is supported by RESSEG and BARHAR.
The deadline to submit for the France Habe Prize 2026 is June 30, 2026.
France HABE Prize 2026 – Regulations – English
France HABE Prize 2026 – Règlement – French
Winner of the 2025 France Habe Prize
The 2025 Prize
This year, although very different, the topics addressed by the candidates were treated by highlighting a wide range of options such as raising awareness of caving, the protection and conservation of caves and karst environments, the concomitance between exploration results and scientific research, education and tourism without forgetting to identify ways to perpetuate their objectives.
The members of the 2025 France Habe Prize Jury rated each submission using an evaluation grid covering relevance, presentation, interdisciplinarity, photography, scientific content, readability and originality.
For 2025, the choice of the Jury was not easy given the quality of the six works submitted. Finally, the Jury decided, unanimously, to reward Laurent Bruxelles from France and his team for their project «Gcwihaba cave» – Bodsuana.
The 2025 France HABE Prize will be endowed with the €300 allocated by the UIS, the € 300 equipment offered last year by RESSEG, a set of two powerful lamps worth a total of $200 offered by CYANSKY, and now a set of three high-quality bags worth $250 offered by BANHAR.
The details of the project will be presented by the winner in the next UIS Bulletin.
The Jury congratulates particularly all the authors and contributors for their dynamism in speleology and their investment in the protection of caves and karst.
Origin of the prize
The France HABE Prize has been awarded since 2013 by the International Union of Speleology (UIS) to promote the protection of karst and caves for future generations. Their natural heritage is a proven source of increasingly rich information about the history of our planet and humanity, enabling people to act more thoughtfully, effectively and sustainably for the future of our environment.
On the proposal of his successor, the award is named in memory and honour of Dr France HABE († 10/12/1999) from Slovenia (Yugoslavia), who among her many occupations and achievements, among others, served as President of the ISU Protection Department from 1973 to 1997.
List of the France Habe prize winners
2013 Thomas Arbenz Switzerland for “Cave pearls of Meghalaya”,
2014 Verband der deutschen Höhlen-und Karstforscher Germany for“Cave animal of the year 2014″.
2015 Ciudadanos del Karso Puerto Rico for”Puerto Rico’s Karst Physiography Protection and Conservation Act”.
2016 Commission Wallonne d’Etude et de Protection des Sites Souterrains (CWEPSS) Belgium for “Atlas du Bassin du Hoyoux – 6e volume des Monographies karstiques par bassin versants”.
2017 Ir. JUNIAT Irawati Indonesia for the “Protection and management of karst regions in Indonesia”.
2018 The prize has not been awarded.
2019 Guglielmo RONAGHI Italy for “Light in the dark” (film).
2020 Olivier Testa, Vincent Rouquette Cathala et Phillip Lehman Dominican Republic for “Somos los cenotes project”.
2021 Speleological Group of Villacarrillo (GEV) Italy for “Our friends bats”.
2022 LA VENTA – Associazione Culturale Esplorazioni Geografiche Italy for the “Puerto Princesa underground river – Palawan – Philippines”.
2023 Daniel Caron Canada for “Centre d’interprétation du monde souterrain – Caverne de Saint Léonard – Montréal».
2024 Paul De Bie Belgium for the monograph project “La Magne souterraine – Le système Wuinant-Haminte et autres phenomena karstiques de la vallée de la Magne”
Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns
UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission
President
U.I.S. KARST AND CAVE “DEPOLLUTION CAMPAIGN” POST AND SHARE YOUR ACTIONS HERE
A look back at the past
Aside from the 1901 Martel Law in France concerning water pollution, concerns about the protection of caves and karst, as well as their pollution, were truly addressed in the early 1970s. The “officialization” of these concerns became a reality in 1971 with the actions of the Commission for the Protection of Speleological Sites (CNPSS) in Belgium.
Like wildfire, the creation of similar associations in other European countries led the International Union of Speleology (UIS) to establish a commission specifically dedicated to these concerns in 1973.
Among the innovative and original ideas that emerged were the “Depollution Campaigns,” a neologism coined by the CNPSS.
They were supported by “Awareness Campaigns” and specific exhibitions, and led to targeted studies, inventories such as “Pollukarst,” and even the granting of listed site status for a cave. As these types of initiatives are developing in more and more countries, they led to the organization of the International Year for the Protection of the Underground World in 1975, and later to the International Year of Caves and Karst in 2021-2022.
You too,take action without delay
You have certainly noticed that karst and caves are not always respected as they should be, even in countries where caving has been practiced for a long time and where there are even many cavers. Following in the footsteps of our elders, and because unfortunately much remains to be done, the UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission invites you to mobilize to revive the momentum for such actions.
Whoever you are: a federation, a club, or an individual; wherever you are in the world, react, but above all, act without further delay against acts of pollution and degradation, whether old or recent, minor or flagrant, one-off or regular, local or widespread.
Shout loud and clear “no” to the “everything goes” policy because karst is not a filter but a highly sensitive environment. React firmly against all destructive attacks on caves, as they are fragile and contain evidence of our historical, geological, and climatic past.
Use your actions to call on your local elected officials, regional representatives, and ministers responsible for protection and pollution to support you and issue decrees and enact laws to ensure that such pollution and destruction are no longer possible. Contact the press and invite journalists and TV stations to follow you on the ground.
EXPLORING caves and UNDERSTANDING the karst environment allows us to PROTECT them.
The more you talk about this unique and exceptional environment, the more those around you will be aware of it, and the more these fragile and sensitive jewels of nature will be respected because they are finally understood.
Publish and illustrate your actions
This Facebook page was created to allow you to share your actions and ideas by posting below a short report on your cleanup operations, awareness-raising activities, and your protection initiatives, and illustrate them with a few photos or short videos. You’ll thus give your colleagues ideas to replicate and you’ll find others… to continue along this path.
Who among you will be the first?
France HABE Prize 2025 – Regulations – English
France HABE Prize 2025 – Reglement – French
France HABE Prize 2025 – Reglamento – Spanish