The Explorers Festival has been held in Lodz in Poland since 1999.
Every year the festival hosts world-known alpinists, explorers, sportsmen, globetrotters and discoverers. There is also a review of films by the most famous film-makers, competitions, photo exhibitions and workshops.
Highly regarded and respected figures from all over the world are the festival guests. They share their passion to discover and explore the world.
We had the honour of playing host to Reinhold Messner, professor Bertrand Piccard, Sir Edmund Hillary, Sir Christian Bonington, Don Walsh, Martin Strel, Borge Ousland, Liv Arnesen, Fiona Thornewill. Michael Brown, Lynn Hill, Chris Sharma, Martin Strel, Kurt Albert, Diego Azubel, Norman Kent, among other outstanding figures.

     Presentations delivered by the festival guests contribute to better understanding of the inner drive that is present in everyone. Our guests tackle a question of human limits and a sense of searching them. Meeting and talking with outstanding explorers is, especially for young people who only start to shape their attitude to the surrounding world, crucial in learning about a new, different and beautiful dimension of life. Explorers Festival corresponds to people's interests and fascinations. It reminds them how valuable close contact with the nature is, it promotes active lifestyle, inflames passions, triggers sensitivity and openness to another person, provides opportunity to meet people of different nations living in different environment and of different interests as well as promotes nature conservation.

     Participation of our quests in the festival is very important, because it is message to young people i.e. "dream, live interesting life and protect our planet for future generations".

     It is worth mentioning that the festival is a non profit event and there are no entrance fees.

The Quests of the Explorers Festival:
Polish celebrities, such as Krzysztof Wielicki, Andrzej Zawada, Marek Kamiński, Janusz Majer, Leszek Cichy, Piotr Pustelnik, Artur Hajzer, Krzysztof Zanussi, Roman Paszke, Jerzy Surdel and celebrities from the world:
  Erhard Loretan - Switzerland (1999, 2005)
  Stefan Glowacz - Germany (1999)
  Gertrude Reinisch - Austria (1999, 2000)
  Catherine Destivelle - France (2000)
  Leo Dickinson - UK (2000)
  Reinhold Messner - Italy (2001)
  Borge Ousland - Norway (2001)
  Davorin Karnićar - Slovenia (2001)
  Dominique Perret - Switzerland (2001)
  Gerhard Baur - Germany (2001)
  sir Christian Bonington -UK (2002)
  Bertrand Piccard - Switzerland (2002)
  Jean Troillet - Switzerland (2002)
  Fulvio Mariani - Switzerland (2002)
  Marian and Robert Kočan - Slovakia (2002)
  Bertrand Roche - France (2002)
  sir Edmund Hillary - New Zealand (2003)
  Pascal Tournaire - France (2003)
  Liv Arnesen - Norway (2003)
  Joe Jennings - USA (2003)
  Keith Partridge - UK (2004)
  Jake Willers - UK (2004)
  Hayden Turner - Australia (2004)
  Erich von Däniken - Switzerland (2004)
  Walery Babanow - Russia (2004)
  Erika Warmbrunn - USA (2004)
  Michael Bustelo - Italy (2004)
  Doug Scott - UK (2004)
  Michael Brown - USA (2004, 2008)
  Thomas Huber - Germany (2004)
  Peter Chrzanowski - Canada (2004)
  Kurt Diemberger - Austria (2005)
  Stephan Eberharter - Austria (2005)
  Leo Houlding UK (2005)
  Norman Kent - USA (2005)
  Sandra Noel - UK (2005)
  Kelly & Craig Perkins - USA (2005)
  Marko Prezelj - Slovenia (2005)
  Don Walsh - USA (2006)
  Robert Jasper - Germany (2006)
  Heinz Zak - Austria (2006)
  Olivier Aubert - Switzerland (2006)
  Mike Blyth - RSA (2006)
  Jon Bowermaster - USA (2006)
  Diego Azubel - Argentina (2006)
  Nancy LaRiviere - USA (2006)
  Kevin Alderton - UK (2006)
  Martin Strel - Slovenia (2007)
  Kurt Albert - Germany (2007)
  Alison Gannett - USA (2007)
  Prof. Nicholas Middleton - UK (2007)
  Melanie Carrier - Canada (2007)
  Olivier Higgins - Canada (2007)
  Barbara Brighetti - Italy (2007)
  Stipe Božić - Croatia (2007)
  Lynn Hill - USA (2008)
  Chris Sharma - USA (2008)
  Hans Florine - USA (2008)
  Fiona Thornewill - UK (2008)
  John Harlin III - USA (2008)
  Colin Angus - Canada (2008)
  Julie Angus - Canada (2008)
  Edurne Pasaban - Spain (2008)
  Andrew Skurka - USA (2008)
  Araceli Segarra - Spain (2008)
  Corey Rich - USA (2008)
  Will Steger -USA (2009)
  Victor Bojarsky - Russia (2009)
  Simone Origone - Italy (2009)
  Stephen Koch - USA (2009)
  James Hooper - UK (2009)
  Beth Wald - USA (2009)
  Geoff Somers - UK (2009)
  Keizo Funatsu - Japan (2009)
  Pavol Barabáš - Slovakia (2009)
  Stephen Bouey - USA (2010)
  Steven Shoppman -USA (2010)
  Simon Carter - Australia (2010)
  Witold Casetti - Italy (2010)
  Didier Delsalle - France (2010)
  Andrew Elson - UK (2010)
  Joâo Garcia - Portugal (2010)
  Tamotsu Nakamura - Japan (2010)
  Jamling Tenzing Norgay - India (2010)
  Yves Rossy - Jet-Man - Switzerland (2010)
  Armin Buchroithner - Austria (2011)
  Christoph Hoerner - Austria (2011)
  Stefan Ribitsch - Austria (2011)
  Elisabeth Duda - France / Poland (2011)
  Alex Honnold - USA (2011)
  Richard Meredith - Hardy -UK (2011)
  Basil Pao - China / Hong Kong (2011)
  Ines Papert - Germany (2011)
  Alain Robert - France (2011)

During the Festival, prestigious Explorer awards are distributed. They are granted by the Committee consisting of people of exploration, journalists and laureates from the previous years. Explorer is granted to the most outstanding contemporary discoverers and explorers of the Earth.

2000 Explorer Laureates: www.explorersfestival.pl
2001 Explorer Laureates:
  Davo Karnićar - Slovenia
  Borge Ousland - Norway
  Reinhold Messner - Italy
  Roman Paszke - Poland
2002 Explorer laureates:
  sir Christian Bonington - UK
  prof. Bertrand Piccard - Switzerland
  Józef Nyka - Poland
2003 Explorer Laureates:
  Liv Arnesen - Norway
  sir Edmund Hillary - New Zealand
  Janusz Kurczab - Poland
2004 Explorer Laureates:
  Walery Babanow - Russia
  Erich von Däniken - Switzerland
  Doug Scott - UK
2005 Explorer Laureates:
  Kurt Diemberger - Austria
  Erhard Loretan - Switzerland
  Marko Prezelj - Slovenia
2006 Explorer Laureates:
  Don Walsh - USA
  Olivier Aubert - Switzerland
  Mike Blyth - RSA
  Anna Czerwińska - Poland
2007 Explorer Laureates:
  Martin Strel - Slovenia
  Kurt Albert - Germany
  Piotr Pustelnik - Poland
2008 Explorer Laureates:
  Lynn Hill - USA
  Fiona Thornewill - UK
  Colin Angus - Canada
  Piotr Chmieliński - Poland/USA
2009 Explorer Laureates:
  Will Steger -USA
  Victor Bojarsky - Russia
  James Hooper - UK
  Geoff Somers - UK
  Keizo Funatsu - Japan
2010 Explorer Laureates:
  Joâo Garcia - Portugal
  Tamotsu Nakamura - Japan
  Yves Rossy /Jet-Man/ - Switzerland
  Jerzy Wala - Poland
 2011 Explorer Laureates:
  Richard Meredith - Hardy - UK
  Alain Robert - France

Camera Extreme, another prestigious award, granted by the organizers goes to the most distinguished extreme film makers and photographers, who work in unusual, often extremely tough conditions.

2000 Camera Extreme Laureate:   Leo Dickinson - UK
2001 Camera Extreme Laureate:   Gerhard Baur - Germany
2002 Camera Extreme Laureate:   Fulvio Mariani - Switzerland
2003 Camera Extreme Laureates: Joe Jennings - USA, Pascal Tournaire - France
2004 Camera Extreme Laureates: Michael Brown - USA, Keith Partridge - UK
2005 Camera Extreme Laureates: Norman Kent - USA, Jerzy Surdel - Poland
2006 Camera Extreme Laureates: Heinz Zak - Austria, Diego Azubel - Argentina
2007 Camera Extreme Laureate:   Stipe Božić - Croatia
2008 Camera Extreme Laureate:   Corey Rich - USA
2009 Camera Extreme Laureates:  Elizabeth Wald- USA, Pavol Barabáš - Slovakia
2010 Camera Extreme Laureate:   Simon Carter - Australia
2011 Camera Extreme Laureate:   Basil Pao - China / Hong Kong

All laureates arrive in person to receive the award, and their special presentations provide a top attraction for the audience.

ARTSHOW 2002 - the Visual Forms and Art of Presentation Contest.
Grand Prix - Golden Frame - (500 euro).
The winner was Lost on Everest by Peter Firstbrook (BBC) - U.K.

ARTSHOW 2004 - the Visual Forms and Art of Presentation Contest.
Grand Prix - Golden Frame - (1500 euro).
The winner was Off the rails by Richard Dennison - New Zealand.

ARTSHOW 2005 - the Visual Forms and Art of Presentation Contest.
Grand Prix - Golden Frame - (1500 euro).
The winner was Escape over the Himalyas by Maria Blumencron and Richard Ladkani - Germany, produced by ZDF - Michaela Pilters.

ARTSHOW 2006 - the Visual Forms and Art of Presentation Contest.
Grand Prix - Golden Frame - (1500 euro).
The winner was Fatima's hand by Jens Hoffman - Germany, produced by F - 24.

ARTSHOW 2007 - the Visual Forms and Art of Presentation Contest.
Grand Prix - Golden Frame - (2.500 euro).
The winner was First ascent by Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen (USA).

ARTSHOW 2008 - the Visual Forms and Art of Presentation Contest.
No Grand Prix - Golden Frame
 - the First Prize to Unknown Antarctica directed by Pavol Barabáš (Slovakia), produced by the K2 Studio (Slovakia)

 - the Second Prize to Amazonian vertigo directed by Evrard Wendenbaum (France), produced by Migoo Production and Evrard Wendenbaum.

 - the Third Prize to Crossing the lines directed by Armin Buchroithner, Christoph Hoerner, Stefan Ribitsch (Austria), produced by Armin Buchroithner, Christoph Hoerner, Stefan Ribitsch

Each edition of the festival is extremely popular among the audience. Over 12.000 people form Poland and abroad have taken part in the Festival, contributing to its unique atmosphere. Unfortunately, there was not enough room for everyone. Leading Polish media provide their patronage.