Copley Medal

The Copley Medal is the Society’s oldest and most prestigious award. The medal is awarded for sustained, outstanding achievements in any field of science.

  • Opening date

  • Closing date

  • Winners announcement

    Date subject to confirmation

The award

The Copley Medal is the Society’s oldest and most prestigious award. The medal is awarded for sustained, outstanding achievements in any field of science.  

First awarded in 1731 following donations from Godfrey Copley FRS (PDF), it was initially awarded for the most important scientific discovery or for the greatest contribution made by experiment. The Copley Medal is thought to be the world's oldest scientific prize and it was awarded 170 years before the first Nobel Prize. Notable winners include Benjamin Franklin, Dorothy Hodgkin, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin. The medal is of silver gilt, is awarded annually, alternating between the physical and biological sciences (odd and even years respectively), and is accompanied by a a gift of £25,000. 

Eligibility

The Copley medal is open to international citizens. It is restricted to senior scientists and nominations will remain valid and shall be considered by the award selection committee throughout three nomination cycles. Teams or groups may now be nominated for this award. In 2024, the Copley Medal will be awarded for the biological sciences. 

Nominations are closed

Nominations will reopen in November 2024.

2023 winner

  • Martin Rees

    Martin Rees

    The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM Kt HonFREng FRS

    The Copley Medal 2023 is awarded to Martin Rees (The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM Kt HonFREng FRS) for being arguably the most distinguished theoretical astrophysicist of his generation, responsible for numerous and varied conceptual breakthroughs, with influence spreading far beyond the specialist academic community.
  • Past winners

    • blank avatar
      Awarded in 2022

      Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine Team

      For rapidly developing and deploying a COVID-19 vaccine.
    • Jocelyn Bell Burnell
      Awarded in 2021

      Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell

      For her work on the discovery of pulsars, one of the major astronomical discoveries of the 20th century.
    • Alan Fersht
      Awarded in 2020

      Sir Alan Fersht FMedSci FRS

      He has developed and applied the methods of protein engineering to provide descriptions of protein folding pathways at atomic resolution, revolutionising our understanding of these processes.
    • John Goodenough
      Awarded in 2019

      John Goodenough

      In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the science and technology of materials, including his discovery that led to rechargeable lithium batteries.