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Medals and Awards Committee

The Society’s Medals and Awards celebrate achievement and success across the breadth and diversity of work in geography. The responsibilities of the Medals and Awards Sub-Committee are to ensure that nominations are eligible for consideration and to recommend recipients on an annual basis for approval by Council.

 

Membership

The Sub-Committee is chaired by the President, or by a Vice President nominated by the President.

Membership of the Sub-Committee consists of representatives from four of the Society’s standing committees (Education, Expeditions and Fieldwork, Professional Practice and Research and Higher Education) and three external members, ensuring representation of human and physical academic geographers and from the Society’s professional, educational and/or expedition communities.

Members are approved by Council to serve a three-year term. The Director attends the meetings and participates in an advisory capacity. Meetings of the Sub-Committee are organised by the Director’s Office.

 

Frequency of meetings

The Sub-Committee meets annually in March. If approved to do so by Council, there is provision for the Sub-Committee to hold an extraordinary meeting at a different time of year should the Society be in receipt of a new award that is outside the usual cycle. Council can co-opt up to two additional members with specific expertise if appropriate to do so to assess nominations for new Awards outside the usual cycle.

 

Quorum

The Sub-Committee shall be quorate when 50% of its members are present, in person or through teleconferencing.

 

Decision-making

Decision-making shall be by consensus as far as possible. If a vote is required, each member shall have one vote and the Chair shall have the casting vote.

 

Duties

The duties of the Sub-Committee shall be:

To have oversight over the Society’s Medals and Awards and the nomination process

  • By providing strategic guidance to Council on any new areas for Medals and Awards

  • By proposing to Council any recommendations for changes to the descriptors for Medals and Awards (within the terms of any relevant endowments) and/or to the nomination form

  • By ensuring that the deadline for nominations is at least six weeks before the Sub-Committee meeting and that nominations are circulated at least two weeks before the Sub-Committee meeting

  • By ensuring that nominations are made by members and Fellows of the Society (including staff Fellows at the Society, with the exception of Sub-Committee members, including the Director)

  • By ensuring that no late nominations are accepted after the paperwork for the Sub-Committee meeting has been circulated.

To review nominations for Medals and Awards

  • By reviewing nominations across all categories of Medals and Awards at the Sub-Committee meeting

  • By considering nominations across the breadth and diversity of geography

  • By adhering to the Society’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in the assessment of nominations

  • By agreeing the recipients of Medals and Awards to be recommended to Council.

To recommend the recipients of Medals and Awards to Council

  • By submitting the list of recipients to the April meeting of Council to ensure that Medals and Awards can normally be presented at the Society’s Annual General Meeting in June.

 

Terms of this Authority

  • This paper is approved by the Council for a period of three years after which it will automatically lapse unless renewed by the Council.

  • In any event, the Council may, by ordinary resolution, revoke or amend this authority as it deems fit.