1/12/2019 Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication - Wikipedia

Stephen Hawking Medal for Science

Communication
The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science
Stephen Hawking Medal for
Communication is an honor bestowed by the Starmus
Science Communication
Festival to individuals in science and the arts to recognize the
work of those helping to promote the public awareness of Awarded Recognizes the work of those
science. for helping to promote the public
awareness of science through
different disciplines such as
music, arts and cinema.
Contents Presented Starmus Festival
History by
The medal First 2015
Recipients awarded
2019
Website https://www.starmus.com/stephen-
2017
2016 hawking-medals-for-science-
communication/
References
External links

History
The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication was initially announced on December 16, 2015 at the Royal
Society in London, by a panel including Professor Stephen Hawking, the Starmus founding director Professor Garik
Israelian, Dr. Brian May, Professor Richard Dawkins, Alexei Leonov and Nobel Laureate Sir Harold Kroto.

The Stephen Hawking Medals will award Science Communicator of the Year in three categories:

Scientific community
Artistic community
Film community
The first Stephen Hawking Medals for Science Communication was awarded at the third Starmus Festival in June
2016. It was presented by Stephen Hawking himself.

Professor Hawking said of the award:

By engaging with everyone from school children to politicians to pensioners, science communicators put
science right at the heart of daily life. Bringing science to the people brings people into science. This
matters to me, to you, to the world as a whole.[1]

The medal
The design of the medal used a portrait of Professor Hawking by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to perform a
spacewalk and member of the Advisory Council Starmus since its first edition. The other side combines the image of
Alexei Leonov during the first spacewalk, and the “Red Special” – Brian May’s guitar – to demonstrate music, another

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major component of the Starmus Festival.[2]

"The Stephen Hawking Medal will be awarded for the first time at Starmus III to the human being who by their sharing
of science and music with us all, is the greatest inspiration to the next generation of artists and scientists." Brian May,
Starmus III

"I did a sketch of Stephen Hawking….and when i showed it to him, i saw a big smile on his face. The Stephen Hawking
Medal created by STARMUS will be awarded to the best science communicators in the world in three categories:
science and/or science-fiction writers, musicians and artists, and people in the film and entertainment industry. I am
honoured to be part of this historical medal." Alexei Leonov, Starmus III

"I am delighted to present the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication to be awarded at STARMUS
festivals. This medal will recognize excellence in science communication across different media, whether in writing,
broadcasting, music, film, or fine art. This takes account of the great diversity, richness, creativity, and scope, that
science communicators use to reach a wide popular audience... I am very pleased to support and honour the work of
science communicators, and look forward to awarding The Stephen Hawking Medal at STARMUS Festivals." Stephen
Hawking, Starmus III

Recipients

2019
Film community: Apollo 11 (2019 film)
Medal for Music & Arts: Brian Eno[3]
Scientific community: Elon Musk[4]

2017
Medal for Science Writing: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Medal for Music & Arts: Jean-Michel Jarre
Medal for Films and Entertainment: The Big Bang Theory[5]

2016
Artistic community: Composer Hans Zimmer
Scientific community: Physicist Jim Al-Khalili
Film community: Science documentary Particle Fever[6]

References
1. “Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication” (https://www.starmus.com/stephen-hawking-medals-for-sci
ence-communication). Starmus. Retrieved 19 August 2019
2. “Stephen Hawking medal” (https://www.starmus.com/stephen-hawking-medal-for-science-communication).
Starmus. Retrieved 19 August 2019
3. "Brian Eno awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal at Starmus space festival" (https://www.factmag.com/2019/05/2
2/brian-eno-stephen-hawking-medal/). FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 22 May 2019.
4. Alvarez, Simon (13 May 2019). "Elon Musk to receive 2019 Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication"
(https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-spacex-ceo-elon-musk-receives-stephen-hawking-medal/). TESLARATI.
5. Simon-Lewis, Alexandra (6 June 2017). "Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jean Michel-Jarre receive the 2017 Stephen
Hawking Medal" (https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stephen-hawking-medal). Wired UK.

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6. Davis, Nicola (16 June 2016). "Winners of inaugural Stephen Hawking medal announced" (https://www.theguardia
n.com/science/2016/jun/16/winners-of-inaugural-stephen-hawking-medal-announced-hans-zimmer-jim-al-khalili-pa
rticle-fever). The Guardian.

External links
Starmus: Medal Home Page (https://www.starmus.com/stephen-hawking-medal-for-science-communication)
Guardian Newspaper: 2016 Winners (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jun/16/winners-of-inaugural-step
hen-hawking-medal-announced-hans-zimmer-jim-al-khalili-particle-fever)
Astronomy Magazine: Announcement about institution of medal (http://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/daves-universe/ar
chive/2015/12/17/starmus-announces-ground-breaking-stephen-hawking-medals-for-science-communication.asp
x)

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