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Royal Society of Canada Medals and Awards 2025

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) offers a variety of prestigious medals and awards recognizing outstanding achievements of Canadian scholars. It is the responsibility of Fellows of the RSC to nominate candidates for these honours, and they are explicitly invited to do so every year.

Note: Candidates are not required to be a Fellow of the RSC.

More Information

Awards

In the 2025 competition, the following awards will be offered:

In the humanities and social sciences:

• Jason A. Hannah Medal - For an important publication in the history of medicine
• Pierre Chauveau Medal - For a distinguished contribution to knowledge in the humanities
• Sir John William Dawson Medal - For important contributions of knowledge in multiple domains
• Yvan Allaire Medal (Medal + $5,000)- Outstanding contribution in governance of public and private organizations

In science and engineering:

• Henry Marshall Tory Medal - For outstanding research in any branch of astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, or an allied science
• Jason A. Hannah Medal - For an important publication in the history of medicine
• John L. Synge Award - For outstanding research in any of the branches of the mathematical sciences 
• McLaughlin Medal - Important research of sustained excellence in medical science
• Michael P. Païdoussis Medal - Recognition of an individual who has made outstanding contributions to research, education, and leadership in applied mechanics
• Miroslaw Romanowski Medal - Scientific work relating to environmental problems
• Rutherford Memorial Medal in Chemistry (Medal) - For research in chemistry (preference will be given to candidates under forty years old)
• Rutherford Memorial Medal in Physics (Medal) - For research in physics (preference will be given to candidates under forty years old)
• Sir John William Dawson Medal - For important contributions of knowledge in multiple domains

Nomination Process

Nominees must be Canadian citizens or have been Canadian residents for the past three years. Nominations for the awards must be made by either:

• a Fellow of the RSC, or
• the president of the university.

If the nomination is to be made by the president of the university, the process of securing and acquiring the nomination letter must be managed through Western Research Awards & Distinctions and initiated by January 8, 2024 (rwprizes@uwo.ca).

A full nomination package (for all awards except Michael P. Païdoussis and Jason A. Hannah Medal) will consist of:

• the nomination form
• the letter of nomination from the primary nominator 
• a 70-word citation
• a 1200-word appraisal of the nominee’s work and suitability for the award
• a CV (max. 20 pages)
• three letters of reference (max. 750 words)
• a biography statement for each of the letter writers (max. 250 words).

The Michael P. Païdoussis Medal nomination package will consist of:

• nomination form
• a nomination letter (maximum three pages)
• three reference letters (maximum two pages each)
• CV (maximum five pages)
• a complete publication list (no page limit)
• a CV (max. 20 pages)
• list of candidate’s best ten publications related to applied mechanics

Note: The nominator must be a member of a national (of any country) or international academy, or a member of a national committee for IUTAM the nomination form.

The Jason A. Hannah Medal nomination package will consist of:

• RSC Nomination form
• letter from the Nominator (Fellow, Institutional or College Members of the RSC, Publisher or other)
• PDF copy of the book

Program Resources

• Nomination Guide
• Nomination Form

EDID Supports

Dedicated support and resources for Indigenous research and Equity Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization in research are available through the Inclusive Research Excellence and Impact team. You can complete a request for support form to receive more information or book a consultation. If you are unsure if your project involves Indigenous research, it is recommended that you contact the team early for determination and support.

Deadlines

Notice of Intent to Nominate (email rwprizes@uwo.ca) if you wish to have Institutional Coordination and support of your nomination is January 8, 2025.

The nomination submission deadline is March 14, 2025.

Institutional Coordination and Support

The Awards and Distinctions Team will provide support for nominations including:

• Assistance with identifying suitable nominators and referees
• Outreach to nominators and referees to secure support, providing them with required materials and guidelines, assisting with developing letter content, performing quality checks for formatting and regulation adherence, identifying the strongest letters for submission
• Drafting letters of nomination and co-nomination and obtaining approvals and signatures
• Support for developing all written materials, and providing feedback and review
• Assistance with finding additional reviewers among RSC Fellows (internal to Western or external as needed)
• Completing online portal registration and creating nomination forms
• Document management: collecting and compiling all letters, forms, and written documents to create a dossier submission according to RSC guidelines
• Uploading of final nominations to the online portal by the RSC deadline