The 2024 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 2024 France Habe Prize Jury rated each submission using an evaluation grid covering relevance, presentation, interdisciplinarity, photography, scientific content, readability and originality.
They unanimously decided to award the 2024 France Habe Prize to the monograph project “La Magne souterraine – Le système Wuinant-Haminte et autres phenomena karstiques de la vallée de la Magne” (Belgium) represented by Paul De Bie.
The winner will be rewarded with an amount of €300 and speleological equipment offered by the firm RESSEG.
The details of the project will be presented by the winner in the next UIS Bulletin.
The Jury congratulates the other participants 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 Karst and Cave Protection Commission of the International Union of Speleology (UIS).
The aim of this prize is 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.
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.
Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns
UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission
President