Gold Medal (RGS)
The Royal Geographical Society's Gold Medal consists of two separate awards: the Founder's Medal 1830 and the Patron's Medal 1838. Together they form the most prestigious of the society's awards. They are given for "the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery." Royal approval is required before an award can be made.
The awards originated as an annual gift of fifty guineas from King William IV, first made in 1831, "to constitute a premium for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery." The Royal Geographical Society decided in 1839 to change this monetary award into the two gold medals. Prior to 1902 the Patron's Medal was alternatively known as the "Victoria Medal".
Recipients include David Livingstone in 1855, Mary Somerville in 1869, Nain Singh Rawat in 1877, Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1878, Alfred Russel Wallace in 1892 and William Woodville Rockhill in 1893, to more recent winners including William Morris Davis in 1919, Sir Halford John Mackinder in 1945, Paul-Émile Victor in 1952, Richard Chorley in 1987 and David Harvey in 1995.
Recipients (since 1970)
Source:| Date | Founder's Medal | Contribution | Patron's Medal | Contribution |
| 2023 | Andrew Mitchell | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change | Felix Driver | For his contributions to the Society and historical geography |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | Jane Francis | For her contributions to the earth and environmental sciences |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | Rita Gardner | For widespread advancement of Geography across all its sub-disciplines through her Directorship of the Royal Geographical Society |
| 2020 | Heather Viles | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | Michael Jones | For his contribution to the development of geospatial information |
| 2019 | Trevor Barnes | for sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | Fiona Reynolds | for her contribution to environmental protection, conservation and the preservation of the British landscape |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | for scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | Yadvinder Malhi | for world leading studies on the impact of climate change on tropical ecosystems |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | for the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | Lindsey Hilsum | for promoting the understanding of global conflict and inequality |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | for scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | Bob Geldof | for raising global public awareness and challenging the causes of inequality in Africa |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | for development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | Paul Theroux | for the encouragement of geographical discovery through travel writing |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | for the development and promotion of glaciology | Hans Rosling | for the encouragement and development of the public understanding of geographical data and influencing decision makers across the world |
| 2013 | Keith Richards | for the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | Michael Palin | for the promotion of geography and geographical education |
| 2012 | Charles Withers | for the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | Alastair Fothergill | for promoting globally the understanding of the world's environments |
| 2011 | David Livingstone | for the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | Sylvia Earle | for the encouragement, development and promotion of ocean science and exploration |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | Jack Dangermond | promoting geographical science through the development of Geographical Information Systems |
| 2009 | Alan Baker | contributions to historical geography | Nicholas Stern | for contributions to climate change policy |
| 2008 | Julian Dowdeswell | encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | Jesse Walker | encouragement, development and promotion of coastal geomorphology |
| 2007 | Roger Barry | international leadership of research on climate and climate change | Paul Curran | international development of geographical science through remote sensing and Earth observation |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | Jack Ives | role internationally in establishing the global importance of mountain regions |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | Jean Malaurie | lifelong study of the Arctic and its peoples |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | Sydney Possuelo | contributions to Brazilian people's rights and explorations in Amazonia |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | contributions to geographical information science | Harish Kapadia | contributions to geographical discovery and mountaineering in the Himalayas |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | David Keeble | advancing knowledge in economic and industrial geography |
| 2001 | William Graf | research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | Reinhold Messner | mountaineering and mountain regions |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | Crispin Tickell GCMG KCVO | promoting the understanding of global environmental issues in governmental and wider public arena |
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | Doug Scott, CBE | mountaineering and the knowledge of mountain regions |
| 1998 | Robert Bennett | David Drewry | ||
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | David Rhind | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | John Thornes | - | |
| 1995 | The Earl of Cranbrook | David Harvey | ||
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | Ghillean Prance | ||
| 1993 | Kenneth Gregory | John Blashford-Snell | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | Martin Holdgate | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Richard Leakey | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen | Keith Clayton | - | |
| 1988 | Peter Hall | Nigel de Northrop Winser | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Laughton | Richard J Chorley | ||
| 1986 | Timothy Severin | Peter Haggett | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | Walter Smith | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | Pierre Gourou | ||
| 1983 | Peter Scott | John Young, NASA | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | Douglas Warren | ||
| 1981 | Keith J Miller | Valter Schytt | ||
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | Preston James | ||
| 1979 | David Stoddart | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | Robin Hanbury-Tenison | For leadership of scientific expeditions, including the Mulu Expedition, and for his work on behalf of primitive peoples |
| 1978 | Major-General R. Brown | For services to the science of map-making | Mieczysław Klimaszewski | For his contributions to geomorphology and international understanding in Geography |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | Kenneth Hare | For discoveries in Arctic Geography |
| 1976 | Brian B. Roberts | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | Edmund Irving | For services as Hydrographer of the Navy and for his encouragement of exploration |
| 1975 | Laurence P. Kirwan | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services to exploration | Joachim P. Kuettner | For explorations of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans |
| 1974 | Christian J. S. Bonington | For mountain explorations | Gordon de Q. Robin | For polar research and exploration |
| 1973 | Norman L. Falcon | Leader, the RGS's Musandam Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of the Persian Gulf region | Edgar H. Thompson | of photogrammetry and surveying, University College London |
| 1972 | George S. Ritchie | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | Michael D. Gwynne | Leader, the RGS's South Turkana (Kenya] Expedition |
| 1971 | George Deacon | For oceanographical research and exploration | Charles Swithinbank | For glaciological research and exploration |
| 1970 | Walter William Herbert | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | Haroun Tazieff | For volcanological research and exploration |