Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication

The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication is an honor bestowed by the Starmus Festival to individuals in science and the arts to recognize the work of those helping to promote the public awareness of science.

Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication
Awarded forRecognizes the work of those helping to promote the public awareness of science through different disciplines such as music, arts and cinema.
Presented byStarmus Festival
First awarded2015
Websitehttps://www.starmus.com/stephen-hawking-medals-for-science-communication/

History

The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication was initially announced on December 16, 2015 at the Royal Society in London, by a panel including Professor Stephen Hawking, the Starmus founding director Professor Garik Israelian, Dr. Brian May, Professor Richard Dawkins, Alexei Leonov and Nobel Laureate Sir Harold Kroto.

The Stephen Hawking Medals will award Science Communicator of the Year in three categories:

  • Scientific community
  • Artistic community
  • Film community

The first Stephen Hawking Medals for Science Communication was awarded at the third Starmus Festival in June 2016. It was presented by Stephen Hawking himself.

Professor Hawking said of the award:

By engaging with everyone from school children to politicians to pensioners, science communicators put science right at the heart of daily life. Bringing science to the people brings people into science. This matters to me, to you, to the world as a whole.[1]

The medal

The design of the medal used a portrait of Professor Hawking by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to perform a spacewalk and member of the Advisory Council Starmus since its first edition. The other side combines the image of Alexei Leonov during the first spacewalk, and the “Red Special” – Brian May’s guitar – to demonstrate music, another major component of the Starmus Festival.[2]

"The Stephen Hawking Medal will be awarded for the first time at Starmus III to the human being who by their sharing of science and music with us all, is the greatest inspiration to the next generation of artists and scientists." Brian May, Starmus III

"I did a sketch of Stephen Hawking….and when i showed it to him, i saw a big smile on his face. The Stephen Hawking Medal created by STARMUS will be awarded to the best science communicators in the world in three categories: science and/or science-fiction writers, musicians and artists, and people in the film and entertainment industry. I am honoured to be part of this historical medal." Alexei Leonov, Starmus III

"I am delighted to present the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication to be awarded at STARMUS festivals. This medal will recognize excellence in science communication across different media, whether in writing, broadcasting, music, film, or fine art. This takes account of the great diversity, richness, creativity, and scope, that science communicators use to reach a wide popular audience... I am very pleased to support and honour the work of science communicators, and look forward to awarding The Stephen Hawking Medal at STARMUS Festivals." Stephen Hawking, Starmus III

Recipients

2019

2017

2016

References

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