Each year the National Geographic Society sponsors a number of cartography awards to support up-and-coming student map makers. In the first part of this two-part series, we’ll meet Adam Thom (who answered our questions via email). He won the Arthur Robinson Award for Best Printed Map, a prize organized by the Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS). In recognition of his map, Sights and Recreation in Central California, he received $500, a copy of MAPublisher, and of course, serious prestige. 

Adam: Cartography is such a useful medium to convey a message because not only do maps give facts and information, but they are also works of art.

Adam: My favourite adventurer is Ernest Shackelton and his incredible Antarctic adventures.