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2019 Awards

Our prestigious medals and awards recognise excellence in geographical research, fieldwork, teaching and public engagement.

Our prestigious medals and awards recognise excellence in geographical research, fieldwork, teaching and public engagement.

Our medals and awards are presented annually in recognition of those who have made outstanding contributions to geography.

The presentation of the 2019 medals and awards took place during the Society's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 3 June, at the Society in Kensington, London.

 

Royal Medals

Her Majesty the Queen has approved the award of the Royal Medals as follows:

Founder’s Medal

  • Professor Trevor Barnes For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography

Patron’s Medal

  • Dame Fiona Reynolds For her contribution to environmental protection, conservation and the preservation of the British landscape

 

Council awards

The Society’s Council has made the following awards:

Victoria Medal

  • Professor David Thomas For world leading research into dryland environments and societies

Busk Medal

  • Dr Ayona Datta For contribution to the understanding of smart cities through fieldwork

Cherry Kearton Medal and Award

  • Tacita Dean For artwork that encourages reflection on changing landscapes

Murchison Award

  • Professor Mark Birkin For pioneering work on the development and application of urban analytics

Back Award

  • Professor Frank Tanser For research that has shaped national health policies in developing countries

Cuthbert Peek Award

  • Paul Knight – Missing Maps For advancing geographical knowledge through mapping in remote areas, with the application of contemporary methods

Gill Memorial Award

  • Dr Gemma Catney For outstanding early career research in human geography

Ordnance Survey Awards (two awards)

  • Jennifer Monk For excellence in geography education at secondary level

  • Rob Chambers For excellence in geography education at secondary level

Taylor & Francis Award

  • Dr Jennifer Hill For sustained contributions to teaching and learning in higher education

Ness Award

  • Dervla Murphy For the popularisation of geography through travel literature

Alfred Steers Dissertation Prize

  • Fumika Azuma For the undergraduate geography dissertation judged to be the best in 2018

Area Prize

  • Dr Simon Dixon For the best article in the journal by a new researcher

Fordham Award

  • Rebecca Solnit For distinguished contributions to the field of cartobibliography

Geographical Award

  • Mark Evans – Outward Bound Oman For encouraging young people from all walks of life to explore the Middle East

Ron Cooke Award

  • Gregory Pearson For his A Level Independent Investigation 'An investigation into the form and nature of scree slopes on the North side of the Ogwen Valley'

Geography in Government Award

  • The Geography Spatial Analysts Team at the Office for National Statistics For work undertaken for the United Nations World Data Forum on Sustainable Development Goals

Honorary Fellowship in recognition of outstanding support for the Society and geography

  • Alexander Maitland

  • Sir David Hempleman-Adams

  • Carol Beckwith

  • Angela Fisher

 

Watch the 2019 awards ceremony