The Rumford Medal is an award bestowed by the Royal Society for "outstanding contributions in the field of physics". The award is named in honour of British scientist Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, who is noted for his works on thermodynamics and for establishing the Royal Institution. The award was created in 1796 after Thompson transferred £1,000 to the Royal Society in stocks, instructing the latter to grant the awardee the fund's interest as a premium. 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. Soc. Lond." surrounded by an ornamental border of leaves. This design was discontinued in 1863. As of 2024, the obverse of the medal has a portrait of Thompson, surrounded by the Latin inscription "Beniamin Ab Rvmford S. Rom. Imp. Comes Institvit" ("Benjamin Rumford, Count of the Holy Roman Empire, founded this"), with the Roman numeral MDCCXCVI (1796) on the exergue. 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.
List of recipients + Year Portrait Name Nationality Rationale Notes 1800 American British"For his various Discoveries respecting Heat and Light"1802 No award 1804 British "For his Experiments on Heat, published in his Work, entitled an Experimental Inquiry into the Nature and Propagation of Heat."1806No award 1808 British "For his publication of the employment of Gas from Coal, for the purpose of illumination"1810 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 — British "For his Essay on Dew, published in the course of the preceding (1815) year"1816 British "For his Papers on Combustion and Flame, published in the last volume of the Philosophical Transactions"1818 British"For his Discoveries relating to the Polarisation of Light"1820 No award1822 No award 1824 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 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 Parmesan "For his discoveries relevant to radiant heat"1836 No award 1838 British "For his 'Experiments on the Polarization of Heat,' published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh"1840 French "For his researches in, and connected with, the circular Polarization of Light"1842 British"For his discoveries and improvements in photography"1844 No award 1846 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 French "For his 'Experiments to determine the Laws and the numerical data which enter into the calculation of Steam-Engines1850 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 British "For his 'Discovery of the Change in the Refrangibility of Light1854 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 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 French "For his various Experimental Researches on Light"1860 British "For his Researches on the Composition of Colours, and other Optical papers"1862 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 British "For his researches on the absorption and radiation of heat by gases and vapours"1866 French "For his Optical Researches, and especially for his investigations into the Effect of Heat on the Refractive Power of Transparent Bodies"1868 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 French "For his researches in Mineralogical Optics"1872 Swedish "For his Researches on Spectral Analysis"1874 British "For his spectroscopic researches on the sun and on the chemical elements"1876 French "For his numerous & important researches in the radiation and absorption of light, carried on chiefly by means of the spectroscope"1878 French"For his various optical researches, and especially for his recent re-determination of the velocity of propagation of light"1880 British "For his important researches in astronomical spectroscopy, and especially for his determination of the radial component of the proper motions of stars"1882 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 Swedish "For his spectroscopic researches"1886 American "For his researches on the spectrum by means of the Bolometer"1888 Italian"For important and long-continued investigations, which have largely advanced our knowledge of the physics of the sun"1890 German"For his work in electro-magnetic radiation"1892 Swedish"For his Spectroscopic Researches on Stars" 1894 British "For his researches on the properties of matter at extremely low temperatures"1896 Hungarian "For their investigation of the phenomena produced outside a highly exhausted vacuum tube through which electrical discharge is taking place" German1898 British "For his researches in radiation and in the relations between matter and ether"1900 French "For his discoveries in radiation proceeding from Uranium"1902 British "For his success in the application of the steam turbine to industrial purposes, and for its recent extension to navigation"1904 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 British"For his experimental work on heat"1908 Dutch "On the ground of his investigations in optical and electrical science"1910 — German "For his researches on radiation, especially of long wave-length"1912 Dutch "For his researches at low temperatures"1914 British "For his numerous researches in optics"1916 British "For his researches in X-ray radiation"1918 French "For their contributions to optics"1920 British "For his researches into the properties of gases at high vacua"1922 Dutch "For his researches in optics"1924 British "For his invention of the gas calorimeter"1926 German British "For his services to physical science, especially in the subjects of optics and terrestrial magnetism"1928 German"For his contributions to the knowledge of spectra"1930 Dutch"For his work relating to specific heats and X-ray spectroscopy"1932 German "For the outstanding importance of his work in physical chemistry, especially in the application of thermodynamics to chemical reactions"1934 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 — British "For his researches on the use of polarized light for investigating directly the stresses in transparent models of engineering structures"1938 American"In recognition of his distinguished work and discoveries in many branches of physical optics"1940 Swedish"For his pioneer work in high precision X-ray spectroscopy and its applications"1942 — British"For his outstanding work on the physics of the upper air and its application to meteorology"1944 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 — British"For his leading part in the application of modern physical chemistry to many technological problems of pressing importance"1948 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 British"For his pioneering contributions to the jet propulsion of aircraft"1952 Dutch "For his outstanding work in the development of phase-contrast microscopy"1954 — British"For his distinguished contributions to the technique for the production of high vacua and to the development of the reflecting microscope"1956 — Australian "For his distinguished work on the nature of friction"1958 — British"For his distinguished researches in spectroscopy and optics"1960 British "For his distinguished work in the field of molecular spectroscopy and particularly its application to the study of flame phenomena"1962 — British"For his distinguished contributions to chemical engineering"1964 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 British "In recognition of his distinguished and paramount personal contribution to the establishment of economic nuclear energy in Great Britain"1968 Hungarian