James Cameron, the internationally renowned film director and ocean frontier explorer, will be awarded the 2013 Nierenberg Prize,Friday, by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego,

The Niereberg Prize is in recognition of his contribution to Science in the Public Interest.

Cameron has decided to donate the prize money of $25,000 that comes with the award back to Scripps to help set up an extreme-depth unmanned undersea exploration instrument, known as 'lander,' for the institution's upcoming deep-sea exploration and research.

"Scripps Institution of Oceanography is extremely grateful to James Cameron for his generous lander gift, which not only holds historical value, but will prove to be a key resource for many significant deep-sea expeditions in the near future," said Catherine Constable, interim director of Scripps. "The lander will help us unlock the mysteries of Earth's least explored environment, which remains a true frontier of science."

Cameron, who is well-known for blockbuster movies - Titanic and Avatar among others, headed the DeepSea Challenge Expedition last year, which also included Scripps Institution of Oceanography Marine Microbiologist Doug Bartlett as the chief scientist.

Bartlett said that the objective of the DeepSea Challenge was to develop a manned submersible that could travel to the deepest ocean depth including the Marianas Trench, and be used for scientific purposes.

The expedition brought to light some new species of sea cucumbers that scientist hadn't discovered before.

The Nierenberg prize is named after William A. Nierenberg, a prominent national science leader who was the director of Scripps Oceanography from 1965-86. Every year, the prize is conferred on individuals for exceptional contributions to science in the public interest.

Other Nierenberg Prize recipient's include Dame Jane Goodall, Walter Cronkite and Sir David Attenborough.

Last year, Cameron became the first person to complete a solo dive to the world's deepest point, 6.8 miles below the Pacific Ocean surface in the Marianas Trench.