Ben Fogle announces the NG Kids Young Adventurer Of The Year 2011!
Six finalists, nine categories and one very happy winner of the biggest adventure of his life – it’s the National Geographic Kids Adventure Awards 2011!
The National Geographic Store on London’s Regent Street was the place for adventure yesterday when 300 guests joined TV star, Ben Fogle, who revealed the winners of our first ever Adventure Awards!
NG Kids editor, Lauren, and Ben Fogle host the Adventure Awards 2011
Ben presented nine-year-old Jake Allen-Brunn, from Ludlow in Shropshire, with the National Geographic Kids Young Adventurer Of The Year award, which comes with the prize of an amazing trip to Nepal with his family thanks to our friends The Adventure Company. Well done, Jake!
Adventure Company Ambassador, Ben Fogle, with the NG Kids Young Adventurer Of The Year, Jake Allen-Brunn
We had a chat with Ben about Jake’s winning entry, which included a fantastic story about his favourite adventurer and inspiration Ranulph Fiennes, and a brilliant poem. “Jake’s spirit of adventure totally shone through in his winning poem,” said Ben. “I loved the message in his last verse, that ‘you can have adventures anywhere; faraway or close to home, with friends or family, or on your own,’ which mirrors my own approach to adventure!”
Jake was one of six finalists, who all entered with tales of some fantastic exploits. Runners-up Jenny Bates, Oliver Lee, Phoebe Norden, Bethany O’Dell and Hugo Cumberland all walked away with a big explorer’s goodie bag each to take with them on their next adventures. Well done, guys!
NG Kids favourite the Animal Man makes hisss-tory with five of our finalists!
Nine other Adventure Awards winners were also revealed at the ceremony, with wildlife expert Sir David Attenborough winning the award of the World’s Greatest Explorer! Deadly 60 presenter, Steve Backshall, bagged the Most Adventurous Celebrity award, and in other categories, the Indiana Jones series jointly won Best Adventure Film Of All Time, with Michael Morpurgo’s Running Wild taking first place in the Best Adventure Book Of All Time category. Check out all the first place winners below...
Best Adventure Destination in the British isles: Longleat Safari & Adventure Park
Best Adventure Destination outside the British Isles: South Africa
Most Adventurous Celebrity: Steve Backshall
Best Adventure Film: Pirates Of The Caribbean – On Stranger Tides
Best Adventure Film EVER: The Indiana Jones films
Best Adventure Book: the Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz
Best Adventure Book EVER: Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo
Best Adventure Game: Donkey Kong – Country Returns
World's Greatest Explorer: Sir David Attenborough
Family adventure experts The Adventure Company made Jake’s incredible holiday in Nepal possible. The company is the UK’s leading adventure specialist, so head to adventurecompany.co.uk to find out all about how you can have your own adventure with one of their amazing holidays!
NG Kids editor, Lauren, and Ben with two of our finalists Bethany (left) and Jenny (right) and our winner, Jake!
So don't forget to make a note of all your adventures, gang – who knows, we could be seeing YOU next year for the NG Kids Adventurer Awards 2012! Happy exploring!
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