The Kew International Medal is an award given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to science and conservation. The award was first established in 1992 by the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Laureates
Previous award winners include:
2023: Suzanne Simard
2022: Elizabeth Maruma Mrema
2021: Partha Dasgupta
2020: Sandra Diaz
2018: Mary Robinson
2017: Juan Manuel Santos
2016: Sebsebe Demissew
2015: Kiat Wee Tan
2014: E. O. Wilson
2012: Jared Diamond
2009: Peter H. Raven
2003: Mary Grierson
2000: Margaret Stones
1999: Stella Ross-Craig
1996: David Attenborough
1994: Robert Sainsbury and Lady Lisa Sainsbury
Award criteria and nominations
The winner is ratified by the Executive Board and Board of Trustees. Nominations are received from across the organisation and a selection panel made up of Kew Trustees and Executive Board Members decides the winner. Criteria the panel benchmark against are:
Building a world where plants and fungi are understood, valued and conserved – because our lives depend on them Providing knowledge, inspiration and understanding of why plants and fungi matter to everyone; Helping to solve some of the critical challenges facing humanity including (but not limited to): biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, plant pathogens, fighting disease; Increasing public awareness of the threat to plant and fungal diversity.