The Briton pioneer swims in the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth to campaign for their protection. He was the first to swim across the icy waters of the North Pole, the length of the English Channel, and across a glacial lake on Mt Everest. Most recently, the maritime lawyer swam across the entire Red Sea. The Lewis Pugh Foundation has helped protect over two million km² of vulnerable ocean – an area the size of Western Europe. 
Lewis is unsurpassed in his fight against climate change and for the protection of the world's oceans and the environment. His Lewis Pugh Foundation works hard to achieve the United Nations' goal of protecting at least 30% of the oceans by 2030.
Lewis has received numerous awards for his achievements and has succeeded in generating wide influence and interest in his environmental protection campaigns and initiatives. He has a massive reach via online communities, journalists, corporations, and politicians alike.
Lewis was named Young Global Leader by The World Economic Forum in 2010, and just three years later, UN Patron of the Oceans. A charismatic networker, he is able to raise awareness of his causes with global decision-makers and inspire people and organizations worldwide to work with him to save the planet.
He is an extreme sportsman and a visionary with an iron will who conquers extraordinary expeditions and organizes effective environmental protection projects. In 2023, for example, he swam 507 kilometers along the Hudson River to draw attention to the importance of cleaning up and restoring our rivers.
The prize money from the 21st Century Adventurer Award would be used the money for his next swimming adventure in the name of environmental protection.
