BRANISLAV ŠMÍDA
Branislav Šmída is a top Slovak caver and a zealous explorer who has organized and directed many successful speleological projects abroad. He helped to discover many large cave systems at home (Moon Shadow, Lost Brook, Čachtice cave and Bobačka cave) as well as abroad (Lukina jama-Manual II, Slovačka jama and others). He took significant part in discovering, surveying and documenting the Cueva Ojos de Cristal system in the Roraima table mountains, the giant Cueva Charles Brewer and others in the Chimantá massif.
MAREK AUDY
Marek Audy is one of the most recognized underground world photographers. His work, inspired by speleology, has also been awarded with several international prizes. He organized speleological expeditions to Totesgebirge and Tennengebirge, Alpine karst mountain ranges in Austria. In 2002, together with Zolo Ágh, he discovered the Ojos de Cristal cave in the Roraima Table Mountains, which started the world-wide interest in the research and exploration of quartzite karst. He also participated in the discovery of the Cueva Charles Brewer in the Chimantá Table Mountains. In 2006, he took part in the discovery of the world’s longest salt cave system, the 3N cave in Iran.
CHARLES BREWER CARÍAS
Charles Brewer Carías is a renowned Venezuelan naturalist and explorer and one of the greatest experts on the Tepuy region in Venezuela, which is commonly known as “The Lost World”. This explorer sees and knows the Guayana Highlands in broad natural scientific and ethnographic connections. He is considered to be the pioneer of Venezuelan speleology and the discoverer of the most significant quartzite karst phenomena (for example, a cave in the Autana tower). In 2004, he discovered a cave in the Chimantá Table Mountains, which was baptized Cueva Charles Brewer in his honour. Several endemic plants and animals discovered on the Table Mountains also bear the name of their discoverer; Charles Brewer Carías.
PAVOL BARABÁŠ
Pavol Barabáš is the author of a series of mountain and adventure films about people surviving in extreme conditions. With his camera, he has taken part in many expeditions on all seven continents. He has filmed native tribes during three expeditions in the rainforests of New Guinea, native people by the African river Omo and Indians in the Venezuelan jungle. His 16 films have been awarded with more than 130 prizes at home, as well as abroad. His work was also appreciated by the prestigious “Crystal wing” award and the Tatrabanka award, which are awarded annually to Slovak personalities. He is the Vice - president of the Slovak film and television Academy.
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