Awards, lectures and medals of the Royal Society facts for kids
The Royal Society is a very old and respected group of scientists. They give out many special awards, lectures, and medals to celebrate amazing discoveries and hard work in science. It's like giving out trophies for the best science projects!
One of the oldest awards is the Croonian Lecture, which started way back in 1701. It's a super important prize for scientists who study living things (biology). Even older than the first Croonian Lecture award (which was given in 1738) is the Copley Medal. This medal started in 1731 and is the oldest award the Royal Society still gives out today for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science."
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Awards for Great Science Work
The Royal Society has many different awards for scientists. Here are some of them:
| Award | Started | What it's for | Recent Winners | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armourers and Brasiers' Company Prize | 1984 | This award is given every two years for excellent work in materials science and technology. It comes with a £2000 prize. | George Smith 2020 |
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| GlaxoSmithKline Prize and Lecture | 1976 | Given every two years for new discoveries in medical and animal sciences. The winner also gives a lecture and gets £2500. | Andrew Hattersley 2016 |
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| Michael Faraday Prize | 1986 | This prize is given every year to someone who is great at explaining science to people in the UK. The winner gives a lecture and receives £2500. | David Spiegelhalter 2020 |
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| Milner Award | 2012 | This award is given yearly for amazing achievements in computer science by a researcher from Europe. It's named after Professor Robin Milner, a computer science pioneer. | Zoubin Ghahramani 2021 |
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| Mullard Award | 1967 | This award is for scientists and engineers early in their careers who have done work that helps the UK's economy. It comes with a £2000 prize. | Hagan Bayley 2019 |
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| Royal Society Africa Prize | 2016 | This prize celebrates scientists in Africa who are doing new and important work in biological sciences. The winner gets an £11,000 grant for their research, a bronze medal, and £1,000. | Steven Runo 2020 |
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| Royal Society Athena Prize | 2016 | Given every two years to people or teams in the UK who have done the most to make science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) more welcoming to everyone. Winners get a medal and £5,000. | Beth Montague-Hellen, Alex Bond 2020 |
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| Royal Society Prize for Science Books | 1988 | This award is given every year to the best science book written for people who aren't scientists. The winner receives £25,000. | Andrea Wulf 2016 |
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| Rosalind Franklin Award | 2003 | This award is given every year to a woman who has made an amazing contribution to any area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). It includes a £30,000 research grant. | Julia Gog 2020 |
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| David Attenborough Award | 2020 | This award is given every year to someone who does an outstanding job of sharing science with the public. It comes with a £2,500 prize. | Alice Roberts 2020 |
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| Royal Society Hauksbee Award | 2022 | This award is given yearly to an individual or team for great achievements in science, especially for those who work "behind the scenes" or support others. Winners get a silver-gilt medal and £2000. | Neil Barnes 2022 |
Special Lectures in the UK
The Royal Society also hosts special lectures where scientists share their discoveries.
| Lecture | Started | What it's about | Recent Lecturers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakerian Lecture | 1775 | This is the top lecture for physical sciences, like physics and chemistry. It's named after Henry Baker. | James Hough 2020 |
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| Clifford Paterson Lecture | 1975 | Given every two years on any topic in engineering. It's for scientists who are early or mid-career and comes with a £500 gift. | Jacqueline Cole 2020 |
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| Crick Lecture | 2003 | Given every year on biological sciences, especially genetics, molecular biology, and brain science. It's usually given by a younger scientist. | Gregory Jefferis 2019 |
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| Croonian Lecture | 1701 | This is the oldest and most important lecture in biological sciences. It's named after William Croone, one of the Royal Society's founders. | Edward Boyden 2020 |
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| Ferrier Lecture | 1928 | Given every three years on the nervous system (how our brains and nerves work). It's named after David Ferrier. | Raymond Dolan 2019 |
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| Leeuwenhoek Lecture | 1948 | Given every three years to celebrate excellent work in microbiology (the study of tiny living things like bacteria and viruses). It comes with a £500 gift. | Geoffrey L. Smith 2020 |
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| Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture | 2005 | Given every year about how science affects society. This lecture combines three older lectures into one. | Simon Schaffer 2019 |
International Lectures
The Royal Society also organizes lectures with other countries.
| Lecture | Started | What it's about | Recent Lecturers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford Memorial Lectures | 1952 | These lectures are held in different countries that are part of the Commonwealth, like New Zealand. At least one out of every three lectures must be in New Zealand. | John Sulston 2013 |
Medals for Scientific Excellence
The Royal Society gives out many different medals to honor scientists.
| Medal | Started | What it's for | Recent Winners | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan Medal | 1897 | Given every two years for important contributions to medical sciences. It's a silver-gilt medal and comes with £1000. | Doug Turnbull 2020 |
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| Copley Medal | 1731 | This is the oldest and most famous award from the Royal Society. It's given every year for amazing achievements in any area of science and comes with £25,000! | John B. Goodenough 2019 |
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| Darwin Medal | 1890 | Given every two years for important work in biology, especially in areas that Charles Darwin studied. It comes with £1000. | Peter Holland 2019 |
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| Davy Medal | 1877 | Given every year for a very important new discovery in chemistry. It's a bronze medal and comes with £1000. | Varinder Aggarwal 2019 |
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| Gabor Medal | 1989 | Given every two years for great work that combines life sciences with other subjects. It's for scientists in the early or middle stages of their careers and comes with £1000. | Alison Noble 2019 |
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| Hughes Medal | 1902 | Given every year for a new discovery in physical sciences, especially about electricity and magnetism. It comes with £1000. | Andrew Ian Cooper 2019 |
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| Kavli Medal and Lecture | 2012 | Given every two years for excellent work in science and engineering related to the environment or energy. It's for scientists early in their careers and comes with a bronze medal and £500. | Ian Chapman 2020 |
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| King Charles II Medal | 1998 | This special medal is given to leaders of countries or governments who have helped promote science for the good of society. It's not something you can apply for. | Tony Tan Keng Yam 2014 |
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| Leverhulme Medal | 1960 | Given every three years for a very important contribution in chemistry or engineering. It comes with £2000. | Frank Caruso 2019 |
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| Royal Medal | 1826 | Three of these medals are given out every year. Two are for the most important discoveries in natural knowledge, and one is for great work in applied sciences (science used to solve problems). It's also called the Queen's Medal. | Carol Robinson, Michel Goedert, Ann Dowling 2019 |
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| Rumford Medal | 1800 | Given every two years for a very important new discovery about heat or light, made by a scientist in Europe. It comes with £1000. The first person to get this medal was Count Rumford, who actually created it! | Miles Padgett 2019 |
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| Sylvester Medal | 1901 | Given every two years to encourage research in mathematics. It's for scientists in the early or middle stages of their careers and comes with £1000. | Peter Sarnak 2019 |
Past Awards and Lectures
The Royal Society has also had other awards and lectures in the past that are no longer given out.
| Lecture/Award | Started | What it was about | Last Winner/Lecturer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernal Lecture | 1969 | This lecture was about how science affects society. It's now part of the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture. | Michael Joseph Crumpton 2004 |
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| Esso Energy Award | 1974 | This award was for great work in making, using, or saving energy. It was last given in 1999. | Takeshi Uchiyamada 1999 |
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| Florey Lecture | 1981 | This lecture was held in Australia and the UK. It stopped in 1992. | Hugh Pelham 1992 |
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| Kohn Award | 2005 | This award was for being excellent at sharing science with the public. It came with a £2500 prize and was last given in 2013. | Peter Vukusic 2013 |
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| Medawar Lecture | 1985 | This lecture honored Peter Medawar and is now part of the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture. It was last given in 2004. | Peter Lipton 2004 |
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| Philips Lecture | 1980 | This lecture was held annually and stopped in 1992. | C. Thomas Elliott 1992 |
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| Pilgrim Trust Lecture | 1938 | This was a series of lectures held in Washington, D.C., and London. The last one was in 1945. | Hermann Joseph Muller 1945 |
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| Tercentenary Lectures | 1960 | These were a series of lectures held to celebrate the Royal Society's 300th birthday in 1960. | Vincent Wigglesworth 1960 |
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| Wilkins Lecture | 1947 | Named after John Wilkins, the first secretary of the Royal Society. It's now part of the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture and was last given in 2006. | John L. Heilbron 2006 |
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| Microsoft Award | 2006 | This award was for scientists who used computer methods to advance science. It was shared with the French Academy of Sciences and came with a €250,000 grant. It was replaced by the Milner Award in 2012. | Peer Bork 2009 |
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| UK-Canada Rutherford Lecture | 1982 | This lecture was held every year, switching between Canada and the UK, to strengthen ties between scientists in both countries. It stopped in 2010. | John Earnest Walker 2010 |
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| Blackett Memorial Lecture | 1975 | This lecture was held every two years, switching between India and the UK. It stopped in 2010. | K. VijayRaghavan 2010 |
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| Claude Bernard Lecture | 1984 | This lecture was given every year by a senior French scientist visiting the UK. It stopped in 2008. | Jean-Baptiste Leblond 2008 |
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| Humphry Davy Lecture | 1984 | This lecture was given every year by a senior British scientist visiting France. It stopped in 2010. | David Baulcombe 2010 |
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