Copley medal
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The Copley Medal is a scientific award for distinguished achievement in any field of science established by the Royal Society of London in 1731. It is the Society's highest and oldest award.

The Copley Medal has its beginnings in 1709 with a bequest by Sir Godfrey Copley, 2nd Baronet of £100 to the Royal Society. Copley, a wealthy landowner from Sprotbrough, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was elected to the Society in 1691.

The Copley Medal is one of ten awarded by the Society, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences. Medalists are selected by the Fellows of the Society, and are presented with a medal of silver gilt, and a £5,000 purse.

Medalists

1700s

1800s

1900s

2000s

See also

• List of prizes
• Prizes named after people

References

• "The Copley Medal (1731)". The Royal Society (2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-29.