# Copley Medal

The Copley Medal is the most prestigious award of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, conferred "for sustained, outstanding achievements in any field of science". The award alternates between the physical sciences or mathematics and the biological sciences. It is arguably the highest British and Commonwealth award for scientific achievement, and has often been included among the most distinguished international scientific awards.
Given annually, the medal is the oldest Royal Society medal awarded and the oldest surviving scientific award in the world, having first been given in 1731 to Stephen Gray, for "his new Electrical Experiments: – as an encouragement to him for the readiness he has always shown in obliging the Society with his discoveries and improvements in this part of Natural Knowledge". The medal is made of silver-gilt and awarded with a £25,000 prize.
It is awarded to "senior scientists" irrespective of nationality, and nominations are considered over three nomination cycles. Since 2022, scientific teams or research groups are collectively eligible to receive the medal; that year, the research team which developed the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine became the first collective recipient. John Theophilus Desaguliers has won the medal the most often, winning three times, in 1734, 1736 and 1741. In 1976, Dorothy Hodgkin became the first female recipient; Jocelyn Bell Burnell, in 2021, became the second.

## History

In 1709, Sir Godfrey Copley, the MP for Thirsk, bequeathed Abraham Hill and Hans Sloane £100 (roughly equivalent to £17,156 in 2023) to be held in trust for the Royal Society "for improving natural knowledge to be laid out in experiments or otherwise for the benefit thereof as they shall direct and appoint". After the legacy had been received the following year, the interest of £5 was duly used to provide recurring grants for experimental work to researchers associated with the Royal Society, provided they registered their research within a stipulated period and demonstrated their experiments at an annual meeting. In 1726, following a proposal by Sloane, the grants were extended to "strangers" unaffiliated with the Society to encourage "new and useful experiments," though it was only five years later that Stephen Gray became the first such recipient. Prior to Gray, John Theophilus Desaguliers was apparently the only recipient of the grant, but had not always conducted the required annual demonstration.
In November 1736, Martin Folkes, then vice-president of the Society, suggested the Copley grant be converted to "a medal or other honorary prize to be bestowed on the person whose experiment should be best approved...a laudable emulation might be excited among men of genius to try their invention, who in all probability may never be moved for the sake of lucre". On 7 December 1736, the Council of the Royal Society agreed to Folkes' proposal, passing a resolution that the annual Copley grant of five pounds (roughly equivalent to £986 in 2023) be converted to a gold medal "of the same Value, with the Arms of the Society impress’d on it," to be gifted "for the best Experiment produced within the Year, and bestowed in such a manner as to avoid any Envy or Disgust in Rivalship". John Belchier was the first to receive the new award in 1737; due to delays in approving a medal design, however, the medal, designed and struck by John Sigismund Tanner of the Royal Mint, was only presented to Belchier in 1742. Gray and Desaguliers received their medals retrospectively.
Into the early 19th century, medal recipients were selected by the President of the Royal Society, though not always on the basis of publications and experimental demonstrations; political and social connections were also key considerations, along with service in the general interests of the Society. During the long presidency of Joseph Banks, the medal was frequently awarded to recipients whose researches were of a practical or technical nature, involving improvements to scientific equipment or instrument design. In 1831, new regulations adopted by the Royal Society Council made the medal an annual award, dropped the requirement for conducting the qualifying research within a certain period and officially opened it to scientists from any nation; although the medal had previously been awarded to foreign scientists including Alessandro Volta, the majority of recipients had been British subjects. A second donation of £1666 13s. 4d. (roughly equivalent to £212,366 in 2023) was made by Sir Joseph William Copley in 1881, and the interest from that amount is used to pay for the medal.

## Prestige of the medal

By the 1840s, the Copley Medal had achieved international prestige; in 1850, George Airy noted the distinction of the medal was that it was "offered to the competition of the world." The Copley medal has been characterised as a predecessor to the Nobel Prize. Since its inception, it has been awarded to many distinguished scientists, including 52 winners of the Nobel Prize: 17 in Physics, 21 in Physiology or Medicine, and 14 in Chemistry.

## Medal recipients

| Year | Name | Rationale | Notes |
| 1731 | Stephen Gray | "For his new Electrical Experiments: – as an encouragement to him for the readiness he has always shown in obliging the Society with his discoveries and improvements in this part of Natural Knowledge" | |
| 1732 | Stephen Gray | "For the Experiments he made for the year 1732" | |
| 1733 | No Award | — | — |
| 1734 | John Theophilus Desaguliers | "In consideration of his several Experiments performed before the Society" | |
| 1735 | No Award | — | — |
| 1736 | John Theophilus Desaguliers | "For his experiments made during the year" | |
| 1737 | John Belchier | "For his Experiment to show the property of a Diet of Madder Root in dyeing the Bones of living animals of a red colour" | |
| 1738 | James Valoue | "For his invention of an Engine for driving the Piles to make a Foundation for the Bridge to be erected at Westminster, the Model whereof had been shown to the Society" | — |
| 1739 | Stephen Hales | "For his Experiments towards the Discovery of Medicines for dissolving the Stone; and Preservatives for keeping Meat in long voyages at Sea" | |
| 1740 | Alexander Stuart | "For his Lectures on Muscular Motion. As a further addition for his services to the Society in the care and pains he has taken therein" | |
| 1741 | John Theophilus Desaguliers | "For his Experiments towards the discovery of the properties of Electricity. As an addition to his allowance (as Curator) for the present year." | |
| 1742 | Christopher Middleton | "For the communication of his Observations in the attempt of discovering a North-West passage to the East Indies through Hudsons Bay" | |
| 1743 | Abraham Trembley | "For his Experiments on the Polypus" | — |
| 1744 | Henry Baker | "For his curious Experiments relating to the Crystallization or Configuration of the minute particles of Saline Bodies dissolved in a menstruum" | |
| 1745 | William Watson | "On account of the surprising discoveries in the phenomena of Electricity, exhibited in his late Experiments" | |
| 1746 | Benjamin Robins | "On account of his curious Experiments for showing the resistance of the Air, and his rules for establishing his doctrine thereon for the motion of Projectiles" | |
| 1747 | Gowin Knight | "On account of several very curious Experiments exhibited by him, both with Natural and Artificial Magnets" | |
| 1748 | James Bradley | "On account of his very curious and wonderful discoveries in the apparent motion of the Fixed Stars, and the causes of such apparent motion" | |
| 1749 | John Harrison | "On account of those very curious Instruments, invented and made by him, for the exact mensuration of Time" | |
| 1750 | George Edwards | "On account of a very curious Book lately published by him, and intiyled, A Natural History of Birds, &c. – containing the Figures elegantly drawn, and illuminated in their proper colours, of 209 different Birds, and about 20 very rare Quadrupeds, Serpents, Fishes, and Insects." | |
| 1751 | John Canton | "On account of his communicating to the Society, and exhibiting before them, his curious method of making Artificial Magnets without the use of Natural ones" | |
| 1752 | Sir John Pringle, 1st Baronet | "On account of his very curious and useful Experiments and Observations on Septic and Anti-septic Substances, communicated to the Society" | |
| 1753 | Benjamin Franklin | "On account of his curious Experiments and Observations on Electricity" | |
| 1754 | William Lewis | "For the many Experiments made by him on Platina, which tend to the discovery of the sophistication of gold: – which he would have entirely completed, but was obliged to put a stop to his further enquiries for want of materials" | |
| 1755 | John Huxham | "For his many useful Experiments on Antimony, of which an account had been read to the Society" | |
| 1756 | No Award | — | — |
| 1757 | Lord Charles Cavendish | "On account of his very curious and useful invention of making Thermometers, showing respectively the greatest degrees of heat and cold which have happened at any time during the absence of the observer" | |
| 1758 | John Dollond | "On account of his curious Experiments and Discoveries concerning the different refrangibility of the Rays of Light, communicated to the Society" | |
| 1759 | John Smeaton | "On account of his curious Experiments concerning Water-wheels and Wind-mill Sails, communicated to the Society. For his experimental enquiry concerning the powers of water and wind in the moving of Mills" | |
| 1760 | Benjamin Wilson | "For his many curious Experiments in Electricity, communicated to the Society within the year" | |
| 1761 | No Award | — | — |
| 1762 | No Award | — | — |
| 1763 | No Award | — | — |
| 1764 | John Canton | "For his very ingenious and elegant Experiments in the Air Pump and Condensing Engine, to prove the Compressibility of Water, and some other Fluids" | |
| 1765 | No Award | — | — |
| 1766 | William Brownrigg, Edward Delaval and Henry Cavendish | "For an experimental enquiry into the Mineral Elastic Spirit, or Air, contained in Spa-Water; as well as into the Mephitic qualities of this Spirit. (Brownrigg)" "For his Experiments and Observations on the agreement between the specific gravities of the several Metals, and their colours when united to glass, as well as those of their other preparations. (Delaval)" "For his Paper communicated this present year, containing his Experiments relating to Fixed Air. (Cavendish)" | |
| 1767 | John Ellis | "For his Papers of the year 1767, On the animal nature of the Genus of Zoophytes called Corallina, and the Actinia Sociata, or Clustered Animal Flower, lately found on the sea coasts of the new-ceded Islands" | |
| 1768 | Peter Woulfe | "For his Experiments on the Distillation of Acids, Volatile Alkalies, and other substances" | |
| 1769 | William Hewson | "For his Two Papers, entitled, An Account of the Lymphatic System in Amphibious Animals, – and An Account of the Lymphatic System in Fish" | — |
| 1770 | William Hamilton | "For his Paper, entitled, An Account of a Journey to Mount Etna" | |
| 1771 | Matthew Raper | "For his paper entitled, An Enquiry into the value of ancient Greek and Roman Money" | — |
| 1772 | Joseph Priestley | "On account of the many curious and useful Experiments contained in his observations on different kinds of Air" | |
| 1773 | John Walsh | "For his Paper on the Torpedo" | |
| 1774 | No Award | — | — |
| 1775 | Nevil Maskelyne | "In consideration of his curious and laborious Observations on the Attraction of Mountains, made in Scotland, – on Schehallien" | |
| 1776 | James Cook | "For his Paper, giving an account of the method he had taken to preserve the health of the crew of H.M. Ship the Resolution, during her late voyage round the world. Whose communication to the Society was of such importance to the public" | |
| 1777 | John Mudge | "On account of his valuable Paper containing directions for making the best Composition for the metals of Reflecting Telescopes; together with a description of the process for grinding, polishing, and giving the best speculum the true parabolic form" | — |
| 1778 | Charles Hutton | "For his paper, entitled, The force of Fired Gunpowder, and the initial velocity of Cannon Balls, determined by Experiments" | |
| 1779 | No Award | — | — |
| 1780 | Samuel Vince | "For his paper, entitled, An investigation of the Principles of Progressive and Rotatory Motion, printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1781 | William Herschel | "For the Communication of his Discovery of a new and singular Star; a discovery which does him particular honour, as, in all probability, this star has been for many years, perhaps ages, within the bounds of astronomic vision, and yet till now, eluded the most diligent researches of other observers" | |
| 1782 | Richard Kirwan | "As a reward for the merit of his labours in the science of Chemistry. For his chemical analyses of Salts" | |
| 1783 | John Goodricke and Thomas Hutchins | "For his discovery of the Period of the Variation of Light in the Star Algol. (Goodricke)" "For his Experiments to ascertain the point of Mercurial Congelation. (Hutchins)" | |
| 1784 | Edward Waring | "For his Mathematical Communications to the Society. For his Paper On the Summation of Series, whose general term is a determinate function of z the distance from the first term of the series" | |
| 1785 | William Roy | "For his Measurement of a Base on Hounslow Heath" | |
| 1786 | No Award | — | — |
| 1787 | John Hunter | "For his three Papers, – On the Ovaria, On the identity of the dog, wolf, and jackall species, and On the anatomy of Whales, printed in the Philosophical Transactions for 1787" | |
| 1788 | Charles Blagden | "For his two Papers on Congelation, printed in the last (78th) volume of the Philosophical transactions" | |
| 1789 | William Morgan | "For his two Papers on the values of Reversions and Survivorships, printed in the two last volumes of the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1790 | No Award | — | — |
| 1791 | James Rennell and Jean-André Deluc | "For his Paper on the Rate of Travelling as performed by Camels, printed in the last (81st) volume of the Philosophical Transactions. (Rennell)" "For his Improvements in Hygrometry. (De Luc)" | |
| 1792 | Benjamin Thompson | "For his various Papers on the Properties and Communication of Heat" | |
| 1793 | No Award | — | — |
| 1794 | Alessandro Volta | "For his several Communications explanatory of certain Experiments published by Professor Galvani" | |
| 1795 | Jesse Ramsden | "For his various inventions and improvements in the construction of the Instruments for the Trigonometrical measurements carried on by the late Major General Roy, and by Lieut. Col. Williams and his associates" | |
| 1796 | George Atwood | "For his Paper on the construction and analysis of geometrical propositions determining the positions assumed by homogeneal bodies which float freely, and at rest; and also determining the Stability of Ships and other floating bodies" | |
| 1797 | No Award | — | — |
| 1798 | George Shuckburgh-Evelyn and Charles Hatchett | "For his various Communications printed in the Philosophical Transactions. (Evelyn)" "For his Chemical Communications printed in the Philosophical Transactions. (Hatchett)" | |
| 1799 | John Hellins | "For his improved Solution of a problem in Physical Astronomy, &c. printed in the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1798; and his other Mathematical Papers" | |
| 1800 | Edward Charles Howard | "For his Paper on a New Fulminating Mercury" | |
| 1801 | Astley Cooper | "For his Papers – on the effects which take place from the destruction of the Membrana Tympani of the Ear; with an account of an operation for the removal of a particular species of Deafness" | |
| 1802 | William Hyde Wollaston | "For his various Papers printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1803 | Richard Chenevix | "For his various Chemical Papers printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1804 | Smithson Tennant | "For his various Chemical Discoveries communicated to the Society, and printed in several volumes of the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1805 | Humphry Davy | "For his various Communications published in the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1806 | Thomas Andrew Knight | "For his various Papers on Vegetation, printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1807 | Everard Home | "For his various Papers on Anatomy and Physiology, printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | — |
| 1808 | William Henry | "For his various papers communicated to the society, and printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | — |
| 1809 | Edward Troughton | "For the Account of his Method of dividing Astronomical Instruments, printed in the last volume of the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1810 | No Award | — | — |
| 1811 | Benjamin Collins Brodie | "For his Papers printed in the Philosophical Transactions. On the influence of the Brain on the action of the Heart, and the generation of Animal Heat; and on the different modes in which death is brought on by certain Vegetable Poisons" | |
| 1812 | No Award | — | — |
| 1813 | William Thomas Brande | "For his Communications concerning the Alcohol contained in Fermented Liquors and other Papers, printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | — |
| 1814 | James Ivory | "For his various Mathematical Contributions printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | |
| 1815 | David Brewster | "For his Paper on the Polarization of Light by Reflection from Transparent Bodies" | |
| 1816 | No Award | — | — |
| 1817 | Henry Kater | "For his Experiments on the Pendulum" | |
| 1818 | Robert Seppings | "For his Papers on the construction of Ships of War, printed in the Philosophical Transactions" | — |
| 1819 | No Award | — | — |
| 1820 | Hans Christian Ørsted | "For his Electro-magnetic Discoveries" | |
| 1821 | Edward Sabine and John Herschel | "For his various Communications to the Royal Society relating to his researches made in the late Expedition to the Arctic Regions. (Sabine)" "For his Papers printed in the Philosophical Transactions. (Herschel)" | |
| 1822 | William Buckland | "For his Paper on the Fossil Teeth and Bones discovered in a Cave at Kirkdale" | |
| 1823 | John Pond | "For his various Communications to the Royal Society" | — |
| 1824 | John Brinkley | "For his various Communications to the Royal Society" | |
| 1825 | François Arago and Peter Barlow | "For the Discovery of the Magnetic Properties of substances not containing Iron. For the Discovery of the power of various bodies, principally metallic, to receive magnetic impressions, in the same, though in a more evanescent manner than malleable Iron, and in an infinitely less intense degree. (Arago)" "For his various Communications on the subject of Magnetism. (Barlow)" | |
| 1826 | James South | "For his observations of Double Stars, and his Paper on the Discordances between the Suns observed and computed Right Ascensions, published in the Transactions of the Society. For his Paper of Observations of the Apparent Distances and Positions of Four Hundred and Fifty-eight Double and Triple Stars, published in the present volume (1826, Part 1.) of the Transactions" | |
| 1827 | William Prout and Henry Foster | "For his Paper entitled, On the ultimate Composition of simple alimentary substances, with some preliminary remarks on the analysis of organized bodies in general. (Prout)" "For his magnetic and other observations made during the Arctic expedition to Port Bowen. (Foster)" | |
| 1828 | No Award | — | — |
| 1829 | No Award | — | — |
| 1830 | No Award | — | — |
| 1831 | George Biddell Airy | "For his Papers, On the principle of the construction of the Achromatic Eye-pieces of Telescopes, – On the Spherical Aberration of the Eye-pieces of Telescopes, and for other Papers on Optical Subjects in the Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society" | |
| 1832 | Michael Faraday and Siméon Denis Poisson | "For his discovery of Magneto-Electricity as detailed in his Experimental Researches in Electricity, published in the Philosophical Transactions for the present year. (Faraday)" "For his work entitled, Nouvelle Theorie de lAction Capillaire. (Poisson)" | |
| 1833 | No Award | — | — |
| 1834 | Giovanni Antonio Amedeo Plana | "For his work entitled, Theorie du Mouvement de la Lune" | |
| 1835 | William Snow Harris | "For his experimental investigations of the force of electricity of high intensity contained in the Philosophical Transactions of 1834" | |
| 1836 | Jöns Jacob Berzelius and Francis Kiernan | "For his systematic application of the doctrine of definite proportions to the analysis of mineral bodies, as contained in his Nouveau Systeme de Mineralogie, and in other of his works. (Berzelius)" "For his discoveries relating to the structure of the liver, as detailed in his paper communicated to the Royal Society, and published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1833. (Kiernan)" | — |
| 1837 | Antoine César Becquerel and John Frederic Daniell | "For his various memoirs on the subject of electricity, published in the Memoires deacademie Royale des Sciences de lInstitut de France, and particularly for those on the production of crystals of metallic sulphurets and of sulphur, by the long-continued action of electricity of very low tension, and published in the tenth volume of those Memoires. (Becquerel)" "For his two papers on voltaic combinations published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1836. (Daniell)" | |
| 1838 | Carl Friedrich Gauss and Michael Faraday | "For his inventions and mathematical researches in magnetism. (Gauss)" "For his researches in specific electrical induction. (Faraday)" | |
| 1839 | Robert Brown | "For his discoveries during a series of years, on the subject of vegetable impregnation" | |
| 1840 | Justus von Liebig and Jacques Charles François Sturm | "For his discoveries in organic chemistry, and particularly for his development of the composition and theory of organic radicals. (Liebig)" "For his "Memoire sur la Resolution des Equations Numeriques," published in the Memoires des Savans Etrangers for 1835. (Sturm)" | |
| 1841 | Georg Ohm | "For his researches into the laws of electric currents contained in various memoirs published in Schweiggers Journal, Poggendorffs Annalen and in a separate work entitled Die galvanische Kette mathematisch bearbeitet" | |
| 1842 | James MacCullagh | "For his researches connected with the wave theory of light, contained in the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy" | |
| 1843 | Jean-Baptiste Dumas | "For his late valuable researches in organic chemistry, particularly those contained in a series of memoirs on chemical types and the doctrine of substitution, and also for his elaborate investigations of the atomic weights of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and other elements" | — |
| 1844 | Carlo Matteucci | "For his various researches in animal electricity" | |
| 1845 | Theodor Schwann | "For his physiological researches on the development of animal & vegetable textures, published in his work entitled Mikroskopische Untersuchungen uber die Uebereinstimmung in der Struktur u. dem Wachsthun der Thiese u. Pflanzen" | — |
| 1846 | Urbain Le Verrier | "For his investigations relative to the disturbances of Uranus by which he proved the existence and predicted the place of the new Planet; the Council considering such prediction confirmed as it was by the immediate discovery of the Planet to be one of the proudest triumphs of modern analysis applied to the Newtonian Theory of Gravitation" | |
| 1847 | John Herschel | "For his work entitled Results of Astronomical Observations made during the years 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837 and 1838, at the Cape of Good Hope; being a completion of a telescopic survey of the whole surface of the visible heavens, commenced in 1825" | |
| 1848 | John Couch Adams | "For his investigations relative to the disturbances of Uranus, and for his application of the inverse problem of perturbations thereto" | |
| 1849 | Roderick Murchison | "For the eminent services he has rendered to geological science during many years of active observation in several parts of Europe; and especially for the establishment of that classification of the older Palaeozoic deposits designated the Silurian System, as set forth in the two works entitled The Silurian System founded on Geological Researches in England, and The Geology of Russia in Europe and the Ural Mountains" | — |
| 1850 | Peter Andreas Hansen | "For his researches in physical astronomy" | |
| 1851 | Richard Owen | "On account of his important discoveries in comparative anatomy & palaeontology, contained in the Philosophical Transactions and numerous other works" | |
| 1852 | Alexander von Humboldt | "For his eminent services in terrestrial physics, during a series of years" | |
| 1853 | Heinrich Wilhelm Dove | "For his work on the distribution of heat over the surface of the Earth" | — |
| 1854 | Johannes Peter Müller | "For his important contributions to different branches of physiology and comparative anatomy, and particularly for his researches on the embryology of the Echinodermata, contained in a series of memoirs published in the Transactions of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Berlin" | |
| 1855 | Léon Foucault | "For his various researches in experimental physics" | |
| 1856 | Henri Milne-Edwards | "For his researches in comparative anatomy and zoology" | — |
| 1857 | Michel Eugène Chevreul | "For his researches in organic chemistry, particularly on the composition of the fats, and for his researches on the contrast of coulours" | |
| 1858 | Charles Lyell | "For his various researches and writings by which he has contributed to the advance of geology" | |
| 1859 | Wilhelm Eduard Weber | "For the investigations contained in his Maasbestimmungen and other researches in electricity, magnetism, acoustics" | |
| 1860 | Robert Bunsen | "For his researches on cacodyls, gaseous analysis, the volcanic phenomena of Iceland; and other researches" | |
| 1861 | Louis Agassiz | "For his eminent researches in palaeontology and other branches of science, and particularly for his great works the Poissons Fossiles, and his Poissons du Vieux Gres Rouge dEcosse" | |
| 1862 | Thomas Graham | "For three memoirs of the diffusion of liquids, published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1850 and 1851; for a memoir on osmotic force in the Philosophical Transactions for 1854; and particularly for a paper on liquid diffusion applied to analysis, including a distinction of compounds into colloids & crystalloids published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1861" | |
| 1863 | Adam Sedgwick | "For his original observations and discoveries in the geology of the Palaeozoic Series of rocks, and more especially for his determination of the characters of the Devonian System, by observations of the order of superposition of the Killas rocks & their fossils in Devonshire" | |
| 1864 | Charles Darwin | "For his important researches in geology, zoology, and botanical physiology" | |
| 1865 | Michel Chasles | "For his historical and original researches in pure geometry" | |
| 1866 | Julius Plücker | "For his researches in analytical geometry, magnetism, & spectral analysis" | |
| 1867 | Karl Ernst von Baer | "For his discoveries in embryology and comparative anatomy, and for his contributions to the philosophy of zoology" | |
| 1868 | Charles Wheatstone | "For his researches in acoustics, optics, electricity and magnetism" | |
| 1869 | Henri Victor Regnault | "For the second volume of his Relation des Experiences pour determiner les lois et les donnees physiques necessaires au calcul des machines a feu, including his elaborate investigations on the specific heat of gases and vapours, and various papers on the elastic force of vapours" | |
| 1870 | James Prescott Joule | "For his experimental researches on the dynamical theory of heat" | |
| 1871 | Julius von Mayer | "For his researches on the mechanics of heat; including essays on: – 1. The force of inorganic nature. 2. Organic motion in connection with nutrition. 3. Fever. 4. Celestial dynamics. 5. The mechanical equivalent of heat" | |
| 1872 | Friedrich Wöhler | "For his numerous contributions to the science of chemistry, and more especially for his researches on the products of the decomposition of cyanogens by ammonia; on the derivatives of uric acid; on the benzoyl series; on boron, silicon, & their compounds; and on meteoric stones" | |
| 1873 | Hermann von Helmholtz | "For his researches in physics and physiology" | |
| 1874 | Louis Pasteur | "For his researches on fermentation and on pelerine" | |
| 1875 | August Wilhelm von Hofmann | "For his numerous contributions to the science of chemistry, and especially for his researches on the derivatives of ammonia" | |
| 1876 | Claude Bernard | "For his numerous contributions to the science of physiology" | |
| 1877 | James Dwight Dana | "For his biological, geological, and mineralogical investigations, carried on through half a century, and for the valuable works in which his conclusions and discoveries have been published" | |
| 1878 | Jean-Baptiste Boussingault | "For his long-continued and important researches and discoveries in agricultural chemistry" | |
| 1879 | Rudolf Clausius | "For his well-known researches upon heat" | |
| 1880 | James Joseph Sylvester | "For his long continued investigations & discoveries in mathematics" | |
| 1881 | Charles-Adolphe Wurtz | "For his discovery of the organic ammonias, the glycols, and other investigations which have exercised considerable influence on the progress of chemistry" | — |
| 1882 | Arthur Cayley | "For his numerous profound and comprehensive researches in pure mathematics" | |
| 1883 | William Thomson | "For (1) his discovery of the law of the universal dissipation of energy; (2) his researches and eminent services in physics, both experimental & mathematical, especially in the theory of electricity and thermodynamics" | |
| 1884 | Carl Ludwig | "For his investigations in physiology, and the great services which he has rendered to physiological science" | — |
| 1885 | August Kekulé | "For his researches in organic chemistry" | |
| 1886 | Franz Ernst Neumann | "For his researches in theoretical optics and electro-dynamics" | |
| 1887 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | "For his services to botanical science as an investigator, author, and traveller" | |
| 1888 | Thomas Henry Huxley | "For his investigations on the morphology and histology of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and for his services to biological science in general during many past years" | |
| 1889 | George Salmon | "For his various papers on subjects of pure mathematics, and for the valuable mathematical treatises of which he is the author" | |
| 1890 | Simon Newcomb | "For his contributions to the progress of gravitational astronomy" | |
| 1891 | Stanislao Cannizzaro | "For his contributions to chemical philosophy especially for his application of Avogadros theory" | |
| 1892 | Rudolf Virchow | "For his investigations in pathology, pathological anatomy, and prehistoric archaeology" | |
| 1893 | George Stokes | "For his researches and discoveries in physical science" | |
| 1894 | Edward Frankland | "For his eminent services to theoretical & applied chemistry" | |
| 1895 | Karl Weierstrass | "For his investigations in pure mathematics" | |
| 1896 | Carl Gegenbaur | "For his life-long researches in comparative anatomy in all branches of the animal kingdom. etc., etc" | — |
| 1897 | Albert von Kölliker | "In recognition of his important work in embryology, comparative anatomy, and physiology, and especially for his eminence as a histologist" | — |
| 1898 | William Huggins | "For his researches in spectrum analysis applied to the heavenly bodies" | |
| 1899 | Lord Rayleigh | "In recognition of his contributions to physical science" | |
| 1900 | Marcellin Berthelot | "For his brilliant services to chemical science" | |
| 1901 | Josiah Willard Gibbs | "For his contributions to mathematical physics" | |
| 1902 | Joseph Lister | "In recognition of the value of his physiological and pathological researches in regard to their influence on the modern practice of surgery" | |
| 1903 | Eduard Suess | "For his eminent geological services, & especially for the original researches & conclusions published in his great work 'Das Antlitz der Erde'" | |
| 1904 | William Crookes | "For his long-continued researches in spectroscopic chemistry, on electrical & mechanical phenomena in highly-rarefied gases, on radio-active phenomena, and other subjects" | |
| 1905 | Dmitri Mendeleev | "For his contributions to chemical and physical science" | |
| 1906 | Élie Metchnikoff | "On the ground of the importance of his work in zoology and in pathology" | |
| 1907 | Albert Abraham Michelson | "On the ground of his investigations in optics" | |
| 1908 | Alfred Russel Wallace | "On the ground of the great value of his numerous contributions to natural history, and of the part he took in working out the theory of the origin of species by natural selection" | |
| 1909 | George William Hill | "On the ground of his researches in mathematical astronomy" | |
| 1910 | Francis Galton | "On the ground of his researches in heredity" | |
| 1911 | George Darwin | "On the ground of his researches on tidal theory, the figures of the planets, and allied subjects" | |
| 1912 | Felix Klein | "On the ground of his researches in mathematics" | |
| 1913 | Ray Lankester | "On the ground of the high scientific value of the researches in zoology carried out by him" | |
| 1914 | Joseph John Thomson | "On the ground of his discoveries in physical science" | |
| 1915 | Ivan Pavlov | "On the ground of his investigations in the physiology of digestion and of the higher centres of the nervous system" | |
| 1916 | James Dewar | "For his important investigations in physical chemistry, more especially his researches on the liquefaction of gases" | |
| 1917 | Pierre Paul Émile Roux | "On the ground of his eminence as a bacteriologist, and as a pioneer in serum therapy" | |
| 1918 | Hendrik Lorentz | "On the ground of his distinguished researches in mathematical physics" | |
| 1919 | William Bayliss | "On the ground of his researches in general physiology & biophysics" | |
| 1920 | Horace Tabberer Brown | "On the ground of his work on the chemistry of carbohydrates, &c" | |
| 1921 | Joseph Larmor | "For his researches in mathematical physics" | |
| 1922 | Ernest Rutherford | "For his researches in radio activity & atomic structure" | |
| 1923 | Horace Lamb | "For his researches in mathematical physics" | |
| 1924 | Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer | "For the valuable work he has done in physiology and histology and the position he now occupies as a leader in these sciences" | — |
| 1925 | Albert Einstein | "For his theory of relativity and his contributions to the quantum theory" | |
| 1926 | Frederick Gowland Hopkins | "For his distinguished and fruitful work in biochemistry" | |
| 1927 | Charles Scott Sherrington | "For his distinguished work on neurology" | |
| 1928 | Charles Algernon Parsons | "For his contributions to engineering science" | — |
| 1929 | Max Planck | "For his contributions to theoretical physics and especially as the originator of the quantum theory" | |
| 1930 | William Henry Bragg | "For his distinguished contributions to crystallography and radioactivity" | |
| 1931 | Arthur Schuster | "For his distinguished researches in optics and terrestrial magnetism" | |
| 1932 | George Ellery Hale | "For his distinguished work on the solar magnetic phenomena and for his eminence as a scientific engineer, especially in connexion with Mount Wilson Observatory" | |
| 1933 | Theobald Smith | "For his original research and observation on diseases of animals and man" | |
| 1934 | John Scott Haldane | "In recognition of his discoveries in human physiology and of their application to medicine, mining, diving and engineering" | |
| 1935 | Charles Thomson Rees Wilson | "For his work on the use of clouds in advancing our knowledge of atoms and their properties" | |
| 1936 | Arthur Evans | "In recognition of his pioneer work in Crete, particularly his contributions to the history and civilization of its Minoan age" | |
| 1937 | Henry Dale | "In recognition of his important contributions to physiology and pharmacology, particularly in relation to the nervous and neuro-muscular systems" | |
| 1938 | Niels Bohr | "In recognition of his distinguished work in the development of the quantum theory of atomic structure" | |
| 1939 | Thomas Hunt Morgan | "For his establishment of the modern science of genetics which had revolutionized our understanding, not only of heredity, but of the mechanism and nature of evolution" | |
| 1940 | Paul Langevin | "For his pioneer work on the electron theory of magnetism, his fundamental contributions to discharge of electricity in gases, and his important work in many branches of theoretical physics" | |
| 1941 | Thomas Lewis | "For his clinical and experimental investigations upon the mammalian heart" | |
| 1942 | Robert Robinson | "For his research work of outstanding originality and brilliance which has influenced the whole field of organic chemistry" | |
| 1943 | Joseph Barcroft | "For his distinguished work on respiration and the respiratory function of the blood" | |
| 1944 | G. I. Taylor | "For his many contributions to aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and the structure of metals, which have had a profound influence on the advance of physical science and its applications" | |
| 1945 | Oswald Avery | "For his success in introducing chemical methods in the study of immunity against infective diseases" | |
| 1946 | Edgar Adrian | "For his distinguished researches on the fundamental nature of nervous activity, and recently on the localization of certain nervous functions" | |
| 1947 | G. H. Hardy | "For his distinguished part in the development of mathematical analysis in England during the last thirty years" | |
| 1948 | Archibald Hill | "For his distinguished researches on myothermal problems and on biophysical phenomena in nerve and other tissues" | |
| 1949 | George de Hevesy | "For his distinguished work on the chemistry of radioactive elements and especially for his development of the radioactive tracer techniques in the investigation of biological processes" | |
| 1950 | James Chadwick | "For his outstanding work in nuclear physics and in the development of atomic energy, especially for his discovery of the neutron" | |
| 1951 | David Keilin | "For his fundamental researches in the fields of protozoology, entomology and the biochemistry of enzymes" | |
| 1952 | Paul Dirac | "In recognition of his remarkable contributions to relativistic dynamics of a particle in quantum mechanics" | |
| 1953 | Albert Kluyver | "For his distinguished contributions of a fundamental character to the science of microbiology" | — |
| 1954 | E. T. Whittaker | "For his distinguished contributions to both pure and applied mathematics and to theoretical physics" | |
| 1955 | Ronald Fisher | "In recognition of his numerous and distinguished contributions to developing the theory and application of statistics for making quantitative a vast field of biology" | |
| 1956 | Patrick Blackett | "In recognition of his outstanding studies of cosmic ray showers and heavy mesons and in the field of palaeomagnetism" | — |
| 1957 | Howard Florey | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to experimental pathology and medicine" | |
| 1958 | John Edensor Littlewood | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to many branches of analysis, including Tauberian theory, the Riemann zeta function, and non-linear differential equations" | |
| 1959 | Frank Macfarlane Burnet | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to knowledge of viruses and of immunology" | |
| 1960 | Harold Jeffreys | "In recognition of his distinguished work in many branches of geophysics, and also in the theory of probability and astronomy" | |
| 1961 | Hans Adolf Krebs | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to biochemistry, in particular his work on the ornithine, tricarboxylic acid and glyoxylate cycles" | |
| 1962 | Cyril Norman Hinshelwood | "In recognition of his distinguished researches in the field of chemical kinetics, including the study of biological reaction mechanisms, and of his outstanding contributions to natural philosophy" | |
| 1963 | Paul Fildes | "In recognition of his pioneering contributions to bacteriology." | — |
| 1964 | Sydney Chapman | "In recognition of his theoretical contributions to terrestrial and interplanetary magnetism, the ionosphere and the aurora borealis" | |
| 1965 | Alan Lloyd Hodgkin | "In recognition of his discovery of the mechanism of excitation and impulse conduction in nerve, and his outstanding leadership in the development of neurophysiology" | — |
| 1966 | William Lawrence Bragg | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to the development of methods of structural determination by X-ray diffraction" | |
| 1967 | Bernard Katz | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to knowledge of the fundamental processes involved in transmission across the neuromuscular junction" | — |
| 1968 | Tadeusz Reichstein | "In recognition of his distinguished work on the chemistry of vitamin C and his authoritative studies of the cortico-steroids" | — |
| 1969 | Peter Medawar | "In recognition of his distinguished studies of tissue transplantation and immunological tolerance" | |
| 1970 | Alexander R. Todd | "In recognition of his outstanding contributions to both the analytical and synthetic chemistry of natural products of diverse types" | |
| 1971 | Norman Pirie | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to biochemistry and especially for his elucidation of the nature of plant viruses" | — |
| 1972 | Nevill Francis Mott | "In recognition of his original contributions over a long period to atomic and solid state physics" | |
| 1973 | Andrew Huxley | "In recognition of his outstanding studies on the mechanisms of the nerve impulse and of activation of muscular contraction" | — |
| 1974 | W. V. D. Hodge | "In recognition of his pioneering work in algebraic geometry, notably in his theory of harmonic integrals" | |
| 1975 | Francis Crick | "In recognition of his elucidation of the structure of DNA and his continuing contribution to molecular biology" | |
| 1976 | Dorothy Hodgkin | "In recognition of her outstanding work on the structures of complex molecules, particularly Penicillin, vitamin B$_{12}$ and insulin" | |
| 1977 | Frederick Sanger | "In recognition of his distinguished work on the chemical structure of proteins and his studies on the sequences of nucleic acids" | |
| 1978 | Robert Burns Woodward | "In recognition of his masterly contributions to the synthesis of complex natural products and his discovery of the importance of orbital symmetry" | |
| 1979 | Max Perutz | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to molecular biology through his own studies of the structure and biological activity of haemoglobin and his leadership in the development of the subject" | |
| 1980 | Derek Barton | "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to a wide range of problems in structural and synthetic organic chemistry and, in particular, his introduction of conformational analysis into stereochemistry" | |
| 1981 | Peter D. Mitchell | "In recognition of his distinguished contribution to biology in his formulation and development of the chemiosmotic theory of energy transduction" | |
| 1982 | John Cornforth | "In recognition of his distinguished research on the stereochemically-controlled synthesis and biosynthesis of biologically important molecules" | |
| 1983 | Rodney Robert Porter | "In recognition of his elucidation of the structure of immunoglobulins and of the reactions involved in activating the complement system of proteins" | — |
| 1984 | Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar | "In recognition of his distinguished work on theoretical physics, including stellar structure, theory of radiation, hydrodynamic stability and relativity" | |
| 1985 | Aaron Klug | "In recognition of his outstanding contributions to our understanding of complex biological structures and the methods used for determining them" | — |
| 1986 | Rudolf Peierls | "In recognition of his fundamental contributions to a very wide range of theoretical physics, and signal advances in proposing the probable existence of nuclear chain reactions in fissile materials" | — |
| 1987 | Robin Hill | "In recognition of his pioneering contributions to the understanding of the nature and mechanism of the main pathway of electron transport in photosynthesis" | — |
| 1988 | Michael Atiyah | "In recognition of his fundamental contributions to a wide range of topics in geometry, topology, analysis and theoretical physics" | |
| 1989 | César Milstein | "In recognition of his outstanding contributions to immunology, in particular to the discovery of monoclonal antibodies and to the understanding of the role of somatic mutations in the maturation of the immune response" | — |
| 1990 | Abdus Salam | "In recognition of his work on the symmetries of the laws of nature, and especially the unification of the electromagnetic and weak forces" | |
| 1991 | Sydney Brenner | "In recognition of his many contributions to molecular genetics and developmental biology, and his recent role in the Human Genome mapping project" | — |
| 1992 | George Porter | "In recognition of his contributions to fundamental understanding of fast photochemical and photophysical processes and their role in chemistry and biology" | |
| 1993 | James Watson | "In recognition of his tireless pursuit of DNA, from the elucidation of its structure to the social and medical implications of the sequencing of the human genome" | |
| 1994 | Charles Frank | "In recognition of his fundamental contribution to the theory of crystal morphology, in particular to the source of dislocations and their consequences in interfaces and crystal growth; to fundamental understanding of liquid crystals and the concept of disclination; and to the extension of crystallinity concepts to aperiodic crystals. He has also contributed through a variety of remarkable insights into a great number of physical problems" | — |
| 1995 | Frank Fenner | "In recognition of his contribution to animal virology with special emphasis on the pox and myxomatosis viruses and their relationship with the host in causing disease" | — |
| 1996 | Alan Cottrell | "In recognition of his contribution to the understanding of mechanical properties of materials and related topics through his pioneering studies on crystal plasticity, dislocation impurity interactions, fracture and irradiation effects" | |
| 1997 | Hugh Huxley | "In recognition of his pioneering work on the structure of muscle and on the molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction, providing solutions to one of the great problems in physiology" | — |
| 1998 | James Lighthill | "In recognition of his profound contributions to many fields within fluid mechanics including important aspects of the interaction of sound and fluid flow and numerous other contributions which have had practical applications in aircraft engine design. He is noted also for his ground-breaking work on both external bio-fluid-dynamics – analysis of mechanisms of swimming and flying – and internal bio-fluid-dynamics, including flow in the cardiovascular system and the airways, and cochlear mechanics and other aspects of hearing" | |
| 1999 | John Maynard Smith | "In recognition of his seminal contributions to evolutionary biology, including his experimental work on sexual selection, his important contributions to our understanding of ageing, his introduction of game theoretical methods for the analysis of complex evolutionary scenarios and his research into molecular evolution, both through his classic work on genetic hitchhiking, and with his more recent, ongoing work on bacterial population growth" | |
| 2000 | Alan R. Battersby | "In recognition of his pioneering work in elucidating the detailed biosynthetic pathways to all the major families of plant alkaloids. His approach, which stands as a paradigm for future biosynthetic studies on complex molecules, combines isolation work, structure determination, synthesis, isotopic labelling and spectroscopy, especially advanced NMR, as well as genetics and molecular biology. This spectacular research revealed the entire pathway to vitamin B$_{12}$" | — |
| 2001 | Jacques Miller | "For his work on the immunological function of the thymus and of T cells, which has revolutionised the science of immunology. Professor Millers work is paving the way for designing new methods to improve resistance to infections, producing new vaccines, enhancing graft survival, dealing with autoimmunity and even persuading the immune system to reject cancer cells" | — |
| 2002 | John Pople | "For his development of computational methods in quantum chemistry. His work transformed density functional theory into a powerful theoretical tool for chemistry, chemical physics and biology" | |
| 2003 | John Gurdon | "For his unique range of groundbreaking discoveries in the fields of cell and developmental biology. He pioneered the concept that specialised cells are genetically equivalent and that they differ only in the genes they express not the genes they contain, a concept fundamental to modern biology" | — |
| 2004 | Harry Kroto | "in recognition of his seminal contributions to understanding the fundamental dynamics of carbon chain molecules, leading to the detection of these species (polyynes) in the interstellar medium by radioastronomy, and thence to the genesis of a new era in carbon science" | |
| 2005 | Paul Nurse | "for his contributions to cell biology in general, and to the elucidation of the control of cell division." | — |
| 2006 | Stephen Hawking | "For his outstanding contribution to theoretical physics and theoretical cosmology. " | |
| 2007 | Robert May | "for his seminal studies of interactions within and among biological populations that have reshaped our understanding of how species, communities and entire ecosystems respond to natural or human created disturbance." | — |
| 2008 | Roger Penrose | "for his beautiful and original insights into many areas of mathematics and mathematical physics. Sir Roger has made outstanding contributions to general relativity theory and cosmology, most notably for his work on black holes and the Big Bang." | — |
| 2009 | Martin Evans | "for his seminal work on embryonic stem cells in mice, which revolutionised the field of genetics." | — |
| 2010 | David Cox | "for his seminal contributions to the theory and applications of statistics." | |
| 2010 | Tomas Lindahl | "for his seminal contributions to the understanding of the biochemistry of DNA repair." | |
| 2011 | Dan McKenzie | "For his seminal contributions to the understanding of geological and geophysical phenomena including tectonic plates." | — |
| 2012 | John Walker | "For his ground-breaking work on bioenergetics, discovering the mechanism of ATP synthesis in the mitochondrion." | |
| 2013 | Andre Geim | "For his numerous scientific contributions and, in particular, for initiating research on two‐dimensional atomic crystals and their artificial heterostructures." | — |
| 2014 | Alec Jeffreys | "For his pioneering work on variation and mutation in the human genome." | |
| 2015 | Peter Higgs | "For his fundamental contribution to particle physics with his theory explaining the origin of mass in elementary particles, confirmed by the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider." | |
| 2016 | Richard Henderson | "In recognition of his fundamental and revolutionary contributions to the development of electron microscopy of biological materials, enabling their atomic structures to be deduced." | |
| 2017 | Andrew Wiles | "For his beautiful and unexpected proof of Fermat's Last Theorem which is one of the most important mathematical achievements of the 20th century." | |
| 2018 | Jeffrey I. Gordon | "For his contributions to understanding the role of gut microbial communities to human health and disease." | |
| 2019 | John B. Goodenough | "In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the science and technology of materials, including his discovery that led to rechargeable lithium batteries." | |
| 2020 | Alan Fersht | "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." | |
| 2021 | Jocelyn Bell Burnell | "for her work on the discovery of pulsars, one of the major astronomical discoveries of the 20th century" | |
| 2022 | Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine Team | "for rapidly developing and deploying a COVID-19 vaccine." | |
| 2023 | Martin Rees | "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." | |
| 2024 | Gregory Paul Winter | "for pioneering protein engineering, especially antibody engineering for the successful production of therapeutic antibodies." | |