Flag Carriers

Flag Carriers

Established: 1931

Flag Designer: Carroll Bill, Boston artist

Representation: Eastern half of the Western Hemisphere and western half of the Eastern Hemisphere, with the North Star above and the Southern Cross below

Overview

The flag is carried on expeditions of such unusual character that their successful accomplishment adds real distinction to the Society and makes a permanent contribution to the world's store of geographical knowledge. The bearer must be engaged in work of a professional, geographic, or scientific nature that is new, original, or represents a "first."

Eligibility

• Work must be of a professional, geographic, or scientific nature
• Work must be innovative in at least one sense:
- Being done in a place where it has never been done before - Method used is partially or wholly new - Never been done before by a woman
• Bearer must anticipate making a permanent contribution to geographical knowledge (through publication, photography, taxonomy, etc.)

Important Requirements

• Application Timeline: Must be submitted to the SWG Flag Carriers Committee at least 35 days prior to departure
• Flag Return: The SWG flag must be sent back to SWG HQ by the carrier within 30 days after the expedition

Recent Flag Carriers

• 2021: Barbara Euser, Alison Ormsby, Subhani Rath, Pascale Marceau - Mount Lucania (first all-female expedition)
• 2021, 2020: Sunniva Sorby - Svalbard climate change documentation
• 2020: Kathryn Sullivan - Mariana Trench expedition
• 2019: Alison Jones, Rhea Banker, Sandra Nichols - Nile River, Svalbard, Peru expeditions
• 2017: Whitney Grespin - Bala Hissar archaeological work
• 2016: Maria Pia Casarini - Barents Sea ice research

Contact

Address: 415 E Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003 Phone: +1-202-546-9228 Website: iswg.org