Professor Michael Batty and Paul Theroux have both been awarded the Society’s Royal Medals as part of a series of awards honouring top geographers. The Society’s prestigious medals and awards recognise extraordinary achievement in geographical research and the promotion of geography, science and discovery.
The Royal Medals, which have been approved by Her Majesty the Queen, are amongst the highest honours of their kind in the world. They have been presented since the 1830s and past recipients include David Livingstone, Captain Robert Scott and Sir David Attenborough.
Professor Batty, of The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, receives this year’s Founder’s Medal for the development and promotion of the geographical models of cities. His ground-breaking research work focuses on concepts and methods for understanding how ‘smart cities’ function.
Paul Theroux receives this year’s Patron’s Medal for the encouragement of geographical discovery through travel writing. One of the world’s leading travel writers, he has published more than eighteen non-fiction books, including ‘The Great Railway Bazaar’.
This year, the Society’s medals and awards recognise 18 different people for their outstanding contributions to geography. Amongst other recipients, writer Robert Macfarlane is awarded the Ness Award for his innovative writing on landscape, place and nature.
The 2015 recipients will be presented with their medals and awards at a ceremony held at the Society on 1 June. The full list of recipients are below.
Royal Medal – Founder’s Medal
Professor Michael Batty CBE
Royal Medal – Patron’s Medal
Paul Theroux
Victoria Medal
Professor Stephen Daniels
Busk Medal
Dr Jayalaxshmi Mistry
Cherry Kearton Medal and Award
Sebastião Salgado
Murchison Award
Professor Gill Valentine
Back Award
Professor David Martin
Cuthbert Peek Award
Professor Heiko Balzter
Gill Memorial Award
Dr Charlotte Lemanski
Ness Award
Dr Robert Macfarlane
Geographical Award
Alain Hubert
Ordnance Survey Awards (two awards)
Andrew Emms
Raphael Heath
Taylor & Francis Award
Professor David Lambert
Alfred Steers Dissertation Prize
Christine McKenna
Area Prize
Dr Rory Horner
Honorary Fellowship (two awards)
Professor Peter Wood
Professor Kenneth J Gregory CBE