Rumford Medal

Thompson was awarded the inaugural award in 1800. The award initially consisted of two medals, one each in silver and gold, struck in the same die. This was later replaced with a single medal made of silver gilt. The medal is awarded with a cash prize of £2,000. British painter Robert Smirke created the original design of the medal. The diameter of the medal is 3 inches (7.62 cm). The obverse featured a tripod altar with a flame upon it, circumscribed by a Latin inscription from Lucretius' poem De rerum natura "Noscere quae vis et causa". The reverse had the Latin inscription "Proemium optime merenti ex instituto Benj. A Rumford, S.R.I. Comitis: adjudicatum a Reg. Lond." surrounded by an ornamental border of leaves. This design was discontinued in 1863. The reverse has the Latin inscription "Optime In Lvcis Caloqisqve Natvra Exqvirena Merenti Adivdicat Soc: Reg: Lond." ("The Royal Society of London awards this to one outstandingly deserving in investigating the nature of light and heat") inscribed within a wreath of oak and laurel leaves bound with ribbons. All citizens or residents of the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland for more than three years are eligible for the medal. Candidates for the medal are selected by the Royal Society Council on the recommendations of the Physical Sciences Awards Committee. Ten times during the early 19th century, no medals were awarded due to the unavailability of suitable candidates or political considerations of the Royal Society Council. Since its inception, the medal has been granted to 108 scientists. It has been awarded to citizens of the United Kingdom sixty-seven times, France fourteen times, Germany seven times, the Netherlands seven times, Sweden four times, the United States thrice, Italy twice, Hungary twice, and once each to citizens of Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Mexico and New Zealand. The medal has been awarded to multiple individuals twice: in 1896, to Philipp Lenard and Wilhelm Röntgen and in 1918, to Charles Fabry and Alfred Perot. From 1800 to 2018, the medal was awarded biennially; since then it has been awarded annually. The most recent recipient is British physicist Tony Bell, who received it in 2024. British academic and engineer Polina Bayvel is the only female recipient.

• Name — Rumford Medal • Awarded For — "outstanding contributions in the field of physics" • Presenter — Royal Society • Date — 1800 • Website — royalsociety.org/medals-and-prizes/rumford-medal

List of recipients of the Rumford Medal • Year — Portrait — Name — Nationality — Rationale — Notes • 1800 — — Benjamin — United States American Kingdom of Great Britain British — "For his various Discoveries respecting Heat and Light" • 1802 — No award • 1804 — — John — United Kingdom British — "For his Experiments on Heat, published in his Work, entitled an Experimental Inquiry into the Nature and Propagation of Heat." • 1806 — No award • 1808 — — William — United Kingdom British — "For his publication of the employment of Gas from Coal, for the purpose of illumination" • 1810 — — Étienne-Louis — France French — "For his discoveries of certain new Properties of Reflected Light, published in the Second Volume of the Mémoires d'Arcueil" • 1812 — No award • 1814 — — — William Charles — United Kingdom British — "For his Essay on Dew, published in the course of the preceding (1815) year" • 1816 — — Humphry — United Kingdom British — "For his Papers on Combustion and Flame, published in the last volume of the Philosophical Transactions" • 1818 — — David — United Kingdom British — "For his Discoveries relating to the Polarisation of Light" • 1820 — No award • 1822 — No award • 1824 — — Augustin-Jean — France French — "For his development of the undulatory theory as applied to the phenomena of polarized light, and for his various important discoveries in Physical Optics" • 1826 — No award • 1828 — No award • 1830 — No award • 1832 — — John Frederic — United Kingdom British — "For his paper, entitled, 'Further Experiments with a new Register Pyrometer, for measuring the Expansion of Solids,' published in the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1831" • 1834 — — Macedonio — Parma Parmesan — "For his discoveries relevant to radiant heat" • 1836 — No award • 1838 — — James David — United Kingdom British — "For his 'Experiments on the Polarization of Heat,' published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh" • 1840 — — Jean-Baptiste — France French — "For his researches in, and connected with, the circular Polarization of Light" • 1842 — — William Fox — United Kingdom British — "For his discoveries and improvements in photography" • 1844 — No award • 1846 — — Michael — United Kingdom British — "For his discovery of the Optical Phenomena developed by the action of Magnets and Electric Currents in certain Transparent Media, published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1846" • 1848 — — Henri Victor — France French — "For his 'Experiments to determine the Laws and the numerical data which enter into the calculation of Steam-Engines • 1850 — — François — France French — "For his 'Experimental Investigations on Polarized Light,' the concluding memoirs on which were communicated to the Academy of Sciences of Paris during the last two years" • 1852 — — George Gabriel — United Kingdom British — "For his 'Discovery of the Change in the Refrangibility of Light • 1854 — — Neil — United Kingdom British — "For the successful construction of a new smoke-consuming and fuel-saving fire-grate, described in the Journal of the Society of Arts of May 12, 1854" • 1856 — — Louis — France French — "For his discovery of the nature of racemic acid, and its relations to polarized light, and for the researches to which he was led by that discovery" • 1858 — — Jules — France French — "For his various Experimental Researches on Light" • 1860 — — James Clerk — United Kingdom British — "For his Researches on the Composition of Colours, and other Optical papers" • 1862 — — Gustav — Prussia Prussian — "For his researches on the fixed lines of the solar spectrum, and on the inversion of the bright lines in the spectra of artificial light" • 1864 — — John — United Kingdom British — "For his researches on the absorption and radiation of heat by gases and vapours" • 1866 — — Hippolyte — France French — "For his Optical Researches, and especially for his investigations into the Effect of Heat on the Refractive Power of Transparent Bodies" • 1868 — — Balfour — |United Kingdom British — "For his researches on the qualitative as well as quantitative relation between the emissive and absorptive powers of bodies for heat and light, published originally in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, and now made more generally accessible by the publication in 1866 of his treatise on heat" • 1870 — — Alfred — France French — "For his researches in Mineralogical Optics" • 1872 — — align=center — |Sweden Swedish — "For his Researches on Spectral Analysis" • 1874 — — Joseph Norman — United Kingdom British — "For his spectroscopic researches on the sun and on the chemical elements" • 1876 — — Jules — France French — "For his numerous & important researches in the radiation and absorption of light, carried on chiefly by means of the spectroscope" • 1878 — — Alfred — France French — "For his various optical researches, and especially for his recent re-determination of the velocity of propagation of light" • 1880 — — William — United Kingdom British — "For his important researches in astronomical spectroscopy, and especially for his determination of the radial component of the proper motions of stars" • 1882 — — William de Wiveleslie — United Kingdom British — "For his Photographic Researches and his discovery of the method of photographing the less refrangible part of the spectrum, especially the infra-red region; also for his Researches on the absorption of various compound bodies in this part of the spectrum" • 1884 — — Tobias Robertus — Sweden Swedish — "For his spectroscopic researches" • 1886 — — Samuel Pierpont — United States American — "For his researches on the spectrum by means of the Bolometer" • 1888 — — Pietro — Kingdom of Italy Italian — "For important and long-continued investigations, which have largely advanced our knowledge of the physics of the sun" • 1890 — — Heinrich — German Empire German — "For his work in electro-magnetic radiation" • 1892 — — Nils Christoffer — Sweden Swedish — "For his Spectroscopic Researches on Stars" • 1894 — — James — United Kingdom British — "For his researches on the properties of matter at extremely low temperatures" • 1896 — — Philipp — Kingdom of Hungary Hungarian — "For their investigation of the phenomena produced outside a highly exhausted vacuum tube through which electrical discharge is taking place" • — Wilhelm — German Empire German • 1898 — — Oliver Joseph — United Kingdom British — "For his researches in radiation and in the relations between matter and ether" • 1900 — — Henri — France French — "For his discoveries in radiation proceeding from Uranium" • 1902 — — Charles Algernon — |United Kingdom British — "For his success in the application of the steam turbine to industrial purposes, and for its recent extension to navigation" • 1904 — — Ernest — New Zealand New Zealander — "For his researches on radio-activity, particularly for his discovery of the existence and properties of the gaseous emanations from radio-active bodies" • 1906 — — Hugh Longbourne — United Kingdom British — "For his experimental work on heat" • 1908 — — Hendrik — Netherlands Dutch — "On the ground of his investigations in optical and electrical science" • 1910 — — — Heinrich — German Empire German — "For his researches on radiation, especially of long wave-length" • 1912 — • Illustration — frameles — Heike Kamerlingh — Netherlands Dutch — "For his researches at low temperatures" • 1914 — — John — United Kingdom British — "For his numerous researches in optics" • 1916 — — William Henry — United Kingdom British — "For his researches in X-ray radiation" • 1918 — — Charles — France French — "For their contributions to optics" • — Alfred • 1920 — — Robert — United Kingdom British — "For his researches into the properties of gases at high vacua" • 1922 — — Pieter — Netherlands Dutch — "For his researches in optics" • 1924 — • Illustration — framaless — Charles Vernon — United Kingdom British — "For his invention of the gas calorimeter" • 1926 — — Arthur — Weimar Republic German United Kingdom British — "For his services to physical science, especially in the subjects of optics and terrestrial magnetism" • 1928 — — Friedrich — Weimar Republic German — "For his contributions to the knowledge of spectra" • 1930 — — Peter — Netherlands Dutch — "For his work relating to specific heats and X-ray spectroscopy" • 1932 — — Fritz — Weimar Republic German — "For the outstanding importance of his work in physical chemistry, especially in the application of thermodynamics to chemical reactions" • 1934 — — Wander Johannes de — Netherlands Dutch — "For his researches on the properties of bodies at low temperatures, and in particular, for his recent work on cooling by the use of adiabatic demagnetisation" • 1936 — — — Ernest George — United Kingdom British — "For his researches on the use of polarized light for investigating directly the stresses in transparent models of engineering structures" • 1938 — — Robert — United States American — "In recognition of his distinguished work and discoveries in many branches of physical optics" • 1940 — — Manne — Sweden Swedish — "For his pioneer work in high precision X-ray spectroscopy and its applications" • 1942 — — — Gordon — United Kingdom British — "For his outstanding work on the physics of the upper air and its application to meteorology" • 1944 — — Harry — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his important contributions to research on the internal combustion engine, which have greatly influenced the development of the various types" • 1946 — — — Alfred — United Kingdom British — "For his leading part in the application of modern physical chemistry to many technological problems of pressing importance" • 1948 — — Francis — United Kingdom British — "For his outstanding contributions to the attainment of low temperatures and to the study of the properties of substances at temperatures near the absolute zero" • 1950 — — Frank — United Kingdom British — "For his pioneering contributions to the jet propulsion of aircraft" • 1952 — — Frits — Netherlands Dutch — "For his outstanding work in the development of phase-contrast microscopy" • 1954 — — — Cecil Reginald — United Kingdom British — "For his distinguished contributions to the technique for the production of high vacua and to the development of the reflecting microscope" • 1956 — — — Frank Philip — Australia Australian — "For his distinguished work on the nature of friction" • 1958 — — — Thomas Ralph — United Kingdom British — "For his distinguished researches in spectroscopy and optics" • 1960 — — Alfred Gordon — United Kingdom British — "For his distinguished work in the field of molecular spectroscopy and particularly its application to the study of flame phenomena" • 1962 — — — Dudley Maurice — United Kingdom British — "For his distinguished contributions to chemical engineering" • 1964 — — Hendrik — Netherlands Dutch — "For his distinguished work on the scattering processes in the interplanetary medium and his prediction of the 21 cm spectral line from interstellar neutral hydrogen" • 1966 — — William — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his distinguished and paramount personal contribution to the establishment of economic nuclear energy in Great Britain" • 1968 — — Dennis — Hungary Hungarian United Kingdom British — "For his contributions to optics, especially by establishing the principles of holography" • 1970 — — — Christopher — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his outstanding contributions to engineering and of his leadership of engineering design teams in the chemical and atomic energy industries and in electricity generation" • 1972 — — — Basil John — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to meteorology, particularly the physics of clouds" • 1974 — — — Alan — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his contributions to physical metallurgy and particularly in extending knowledge of the role of dislocation in the fracture of metals" • 1976 — — Ilya — Belgium Belgian — "In recognition of his distinguished contributions to the theory of irreversible thermodynamics" • 1978 — — George — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his distinguished studies of very fast chemical reactions by flash photolysis" • 1980 — — — William Frank — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his discovery of the quantum of circulation in superfluid helium and his development of new techniques for precise measurements within liquid helium" • 1982 — — — Charles Gorrie — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his unique contribution to the design of optical instruments ranging from large telescopes to bubble-chamber optics" • 1984 — — — Harold — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his many contributions to the theory and design of optical instruments, especially of a wide variety of important new medical instruments which have made a major contribution to clinical diagnosis and surgery" • 1986 — — — Denis — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his contributions to scientific developments in the gas industry" • 1988 — — — Felix — Czechia Czech United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his pioneering work on optical diagnostics and electrical aspects of combustion and his fundamental studies of flame problems associated with jet engines and furnaces" • 1990 — — — Walter Eric — Germany German — "For discovering and applying techniques for depositing and characterising thin films of high quality amorphous silicon and for demonstrating that these can be doped to give useful electronic devices, such as cost-effective solar cells and large arrays of thin film transistors, now used in commercial, flat-panel, LCD colour TV screens" • 1992 — — — Harold Neville Vazeille — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his wide-ranging and imaginative contributions to applied mathematics and statistical physics, especially in the physical properties of liquids and the development of the Temperley-Lieb algebra" • 1994 — — — Andrew — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his contributions to polymer science, in particular his elucidation of the basis of polymeric crystallization, a fundamental ingredient in many materials, to methods of making strong fibres and to the understanding of polymer solutions which underlie this technology" • 1996 — — — Grenville — |United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his work on the 40Ar/39Ar method of dating developing this technique to a sophisticated level and one which is widely used for dating extraterrestrial and terrestrial rocks" • 1998 — — Richard — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his leading research in the development of polymer-based electronics and optoelectronics leading to a very rapid growth of development activities aimed at plastic electronic displays, with advantages of very low cost, flexibility, and the option of curved or flat surfaces" • 2000 — — — Wilson — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his research on ultra-short pulse laser science and technology." • 2002 — — David — South Africa South African United Kingdom British — "For outstanding contributions to our fundamental understanding of the structure and dynamics of reaction processes on solid surfaces" • 2004 — — — Richard — United Kingdom British — "In recognition of his many contributions to molecular spectroscopy and to the dynamics of molecular photodissociation" • 2006 — — — Jean-Pierre — Luxembourg Luxembourger — "For his pioneering work on molten salts and dense plasmas that has led the way to a quantitative understanding of the structure and dynamics of strongly correlated ionic liquids" • 2008 — — — Edward — United Kingdom British — "For his extensive and highly innovative work in ultra-cold matter" • 2010 — — — Gilbert George — United Kingdom British — "For his outstanding work into novel types of quantum matter using innovative instrumentation and techniques" • 2012 — — Roy — United Kingdom British — "For his outstanding contributions to tunable ultrafast lasers and nonlinear fibre optics, including fibre Raman, soliton and supercontinuum laser sources, which translated fundamental discoveries to practical technology" • 2014 — — Jeremy — United Kingdom British — "For his outstanding creativity in nanophotonics, investigating many ingenious nanostructures, both artificial and natural to support novel plasmonic phenomena relevant to Raman spectroscopy, solar cell performance and meta-materials applications." • 2016 — — — Ortwin — Germany German United Kingdom British — "For his pioneering work in active nano-plasmonics and optical metamaterials with quantum gain." • 2018 — — — Ian — United Kingdom British — "For pioneering work in the quantum control of light and matter on ultrashort timescales, especially the invention and application of new techniques for characterization of quantum and classical light fields." • 2019 — — Miles — United Kingdom British — "For world leading research on optical orbital momentum including an angular form of the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen" • 2020 — — Patrick — United Kingdom British — "For his development of optical atomic clocks of exquisite precision, of ultra-stable lasers and of frequency standards for fundamental physics, quantum information processing, space science, satellite navigation and Earth observation." • 2021 — — Carlos — Mexico Mexican United Kingdom British — "For revealing via elaborate computer simulations, how small fluctuations in the early universe develop into today’s galaxies." • 2022 — — Raymond — United States American — "For his wide-ranging contributions to atmospheric physics, employing fundamental principles of physics to elucidate phenomena across the spectrum of planetary atmospheres." • 2023 — — Polina — United Kingdom British — "For pioneering contributions to the fundamental physics and nonlinear optics, enabling the realisation of high capacity, broad bandwidth, multi-wavelength, optical communication systems that have underpinned the information technology revolution." • 2024 — — Tony — United Kingdom British — "For his seminal contributions to theoretical developments of cosmic ray acceleration and origins." • 2025 — Bernard F. — United Kingdom British — "For contributions to relativistic astrophysics, the detection of gravitational radiation and education."