Kew International Medal

The Kew International Medal is an award given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to science and conservation. The award was first established in 1992 by the Board of Trustees of the Royal [Botanic Gardens, Kew].

Laureates

Previous award winners include:

2025: Cécile Ndjebet
2023: Suzanne Simard
2022: Elizabeth Maruma Mrema
2021: Partha Dasgupta
2020: Sandra Diaz
2018: Mary Robinson
2017: Juan Manuel Santos
2016: Sebsebe Demissew
2015: Kiat Wee Tan
2014: E. O. Wilson
2012: Jared Diamond
2009: Peter H. Raven
2003: Mary Grierson
2000: Margaret Stones
1999: Stella Ross-Craig
1996: David Attenborough
1994: Robert Sainsbury and Lady Lisa Sainsbury
Award criteria and nominations

The winner is ratified by the Executive Board and Board of Trustees. Nominations are received from across the organisation and a selection panel made up of Kew Trustees and Executive Board Members decides the winner. Criteria the panel benchmark against are:

Building a world where plants and fungi are understood, valued and conserved – because our lives depend on them
Providing knowledge, inspiration and understanding of why plants and fungi matter to everyone;
Helping to solve some of the critical challenges facing humanity including : biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, plant pathogens, fighting disease;
Increasing public awareness of the threat to plant and fungal diversity.

Kew International Medal

Laureates

Award criteria and nominations