Ice Warrior’s Royal Honour: Craig Mathieson Wins Polar Medal
By Charities Correspondent
From dragging sledges to the South Pole to transforming the lives of vulnerable teenagers, Scottish explorer Craig Mathieson has now added a royal honour to his list of achievements.
The founder of The Polar Academy has been awarded the coveted Polar Medal in the King’s New Year Honours List 2026 – one of the UK’s highest recognitions for polar service.
Mathieson is no stranger to extremes. He man-hauled to the South Pole in 2004, stood at the Geographical North Pole in 2006, and has kayaked along Greenland’s unforgiving east coast.
But while the frozen frontiers are impressive, it’s what he’s done for young people back home that’s capturing hearts.
Since launching The Polar Academy in 2013, Mathieson has taken more than 270 teenagers—many battling trauma, loss of confidence or feeling invisible at school—and put them through one of the toughest challenges on Earth: an Arctic expedition to Greenland.
The results?
Young people who once doubted themselves returning as teachers, scientists, Royal Marines and community leaders. Many now mentor the next intake.
In a powerful video interview released on 29 December 2025, leadership coach and former British Army officer Neil Jurd OBE sits down with Mathieson to uncover how the Academy works—and why it succeeds where traditional systems often struggle.
Mathieson explains that it’s not just about ice and endurance. It’s about belief, compassion, and deliberately placing young people in environments where they discover strengths they never knew they had.
"Seeing these kids step into their potential—despite everything—is the real purpose of the expedition," Mathieson says in the discussion.
Beyond the ice, Mathieson serves as Explorer-in-Residence at the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and has received an Honorary Doctorate from Abertay University.
