
Cunningham Medal
The Cunningham Medal is the Academy’s premier award and dates back to 1796. It is awarded every three years in recognition of “outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the Academy”.
Previous recipients include Nobel laureate, Seamus Heaney, John McCanny (microelectronics expert), Maurice Craig (architectural historian), Sir William Wilde (polymath and father of Oscar Wilde) and Robert Mallet (father of Seismology).
The 2023 Medal was presented to Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Honorary MRIA, at a ceremony on Tuesday, 28 February. Dame Burnell was recognised for her contribution to research, wide contribution to academia, public engagement and her international leadership in science.
The Cunningham Medal will be awarded again in 2026. The call for nominations of Members in the section of Humanities and Social Sciences will open in 2025.