The France HABE Prize is awarded by the Karst and the Cave Protection Commission of the International Union of Speleology (UIS).
The prize is named in memory and honor of Dr. France HABE († 10/12/1999) of Slovenia (Yugoslavia), who among his other many accomplishments served as President of the UIS Protection Department (1973-1997).
Its purpose is to promote the protection of karst and caves for generations to come. Their natural legacy is a proven source of increasingly rich information about the history of our planet and humanity, enabling people to act more thoughtfully, efficiently, and sustainably for the future of our environment.
The 2023 Prize
This year, the candidates dealt with their subject, although very different, by highlighting a wide range of options such as raising awareness of caving, the protection and conservation of caves and the karst environment, education, and tourism without forgetting to identify the means to sustain their objectives.
The Jury of the France Habe Prize 2023 was composed of members of the Scientific Committee of the UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission.
They noted each submission following an evaluation frame about the presentation, compilation, photography, scientific content, legibility, and original point of view. They decided unanimously to attribute the France Habe Prize 2023, an amount of € 300, to the best and most original contribution.
The winner of this year is the “Centre d’interprétation du monde souterrain – Caverne de Saint – Léonard, située au cœur de Montréal”, a project carried out by Daniel Caron from “Spéléo Québec” – Canada.
The winner will present his project in detail in the very next UIS Bulletin.
The Jury congratulates the other participants for their investment in speleology and cave/karst protection.
Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns
UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission
President