Murchison Award

The Murchison Award, also referred to as the Murchison Grant, was first given by the Royal Geographical Society in 1882 for publications judged to have contributed most to geographical science in preceding recent years.

Recipients
Source (1882–1982): British Museum Source (1970 onwards) Royal Geographical Society • 1882 Rev Thomas Wakefield

• 1883  Rev William Deans Cowan, missionary, for journeys in Madagascar

• 1884  William Watts McNair

• 1885  Pandit Krishna

• 1886  Frank and Alexander Jardine, for overland expedition from Rockhampton to Cape York, Australia

• 1887  George Bourne

• 1888  J. McCarthy, for his map of Siam

• 1889  F.S. Arnott, for giving a suitable present to the chief Chitambo, of Ilala, for his services to Dr. Livingstone

• 1890  Vittorio Sella

• 1891  William Ogilvie

• 1892  Robert M.W. Swan (1858-1904) for his work at Great Zimbabwe with James Theodore Bent

• 1893  R.W. Senior, Indian Survey, for his work in the Kulu and Lahaul ranges of the Punjab Himalayas

• 1894  Capt. Joseph Wiggins, for his work in opening Kara Sea route to Siberia

• 1895  Eivind Astrup

• 1896  Sir Henry Thuillier

• 1897  Lieut. Seymour Vandeleur, for his journeys in Somaliland, Uganda, Unyoro, the Upper Nile, and the Niger region

• 1898  Herbert Warrington Smyth, for his several important journeys in Siam.

• 1899  Albert Armitage, for his valuable scientific observations in the Arctic

• 1900  Dr Henry Arctowski, for his oceanographical and meteorological work on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition

• 1901  John Coles, for his services to geography and the society as Map Curator

• 1902  John Stanley Gardiner

• 1903  Capt. Gunnar Isachsen

• 1904  Capt. William Colbeck, for his services to the Society while in command of the relief expeditions.

• 1905  William Wallace, for his services when he served as an official in Northern Nigeria.

• 1906  Maj. Henry Rodolph Davies, for his explorations in the Kachin Hills, the Shan States, Yunnan, Sechuan, and Siam

• 1907  Capt. G.E. Smith, for his surveys in British East Africa.

• 1908  Col. Delmé-Radcliffe, for his work in the Nile province of Uganda

• 1909  Capt. Cecil Godfrey Rawling, for survey and exploration in Tibet.

• 1910  Dr. Karl Skottsberg, for his work in the Magellan Straits

• 1911  Sir Wilfred Grenfell, for his work in Labrador.

• 1912  Capt. William Campbell Macfie, for his work on the Uganda Topographical Survey

• 1913  Maj. Hugh Drummond Pearson, for his surveys in the Sudan.

• 1914  Cmdr. Harry Lewin Lee Pennell, for his services to Scott's Antarctic Expedition, 1910-13

• 1915  Capt. John King Davis, for his work on the Australian Antarctic Expedition 1911-14

• 1916  Lieut-Col. Whitlock

• 1917  Rai Bahadur Lal Singh

• 1918  C.A. Reid

• 1919  Dr. W.M. Strong, for his journeys in New Guinea

• 1920  Maria Czaplicka

• 1921  Cmdnt. J. Maury, for his surveys in the Belgian Congo

• 1922  Charles Camsell,  for explorations and surveys in northern Canada

• 1923  Capt. A.G. Stigand, for his map of Ngamiland

• 1924  J.H. Reynolds

• 1925  Eric Teichman

• 1926  Frank Debenham

• 1927  Capt. C.J. Morris, for his explorations on Mr. H. F. Montagnier’s expedition to Hunza.

• 1928  John Mathieson

• 1929  C.S. Elton

• 1930  Col. H. Wood, R.E.

• 1931  L.M. Nesbitt "for his journey through the Danakil country of Abyssinia"

• 1932  Dr. K.S. Sandford

• 1933  Dr. Noel Humphreys

• 1934  John Rymill

• 1935  R.P. Bishop, for his surveys in British Columbia

• 1936  Michael Leahy

• 1937  Martin Lindsay

• 1938  Ronald Kaufback

• 1939  Robert Bentham

• 1940  Peter Mott

• 1941  C.T. Madigan, for his explorations in Central Australia

• 1942  Sidney William Wooldridge and Flight-Lieut David Linton

• 1943-44  No award

• 1945  Lieut-Col W.E. Browne

• 1946  Lieut-Col Cecil Augustus Hart

• 1947  Gordon Manley

• 1948  Robert W. Steel

• 1949  Lieut-Col. E.H. Thompson, for original researches in the techniques of air survey

• 1950  Sgn-Cmdr Edward W. Bingham, R.N., for polar expeditions

• 1951  Dr. George Salt

• 1952  W.D.C. Wiggins, for contributions to cartography

• 1953  G.B. Stigant, for studies and mapping of the Japanese coasts

• 1954  Gerald R. Crone

• 1955  H.C.K Henderson, Birkbeck College

• 1956  Dr. Alice Garnett

• 1957  Dr George Colin Lawder Bertram for his zoological work at the Scott Polar Research Institute.

• 1958  Prof. E.G. Bowen, for studies in the geography of Wales

• 1959  Prof. S.P. Chatterjee, for his work in organising the national atlas of India

• 1960  Prof. James Wreford Watson

• 1961  Prof. Keith McPherson Buchanan

• 1962  Prof. S.H. Beaver

• 1963  Prof. Arthur Austin Miller

• 1964  Prof. Kenneth Charles Edwards

• 1965  Prof. John C. Swallow

• 1966  Prof. S.G. Davis

• 1967  Prof. Edmund William Gilbert

• 1968  C.T. Smith

• 1969  Prof. J.T. Coppock

• 1970  Iain R. Bishop

• 1971  Prof. J. W. House

• 1972  Prof. Emeritus William Gordon East

• 1973  Prof. William Bayne Fisher

• 1974  Prof. H. H. Lamb

• 1975  Prof. Akin L. Mabogunje

• 1976  Prof. Emeritus W. G. Hoskins CBE FBA

• 1977  Mr Harold Fullard

• 1978  Prof. Kenneth Walton

• 1979  Prof. Eila Campbell

• 1980  Mr. Clive Jermy

• 1981  Prof. C. Kidson

• 1982  Dr. Robert J. Bennett

• 1983  Prof.Richard Lawton

• 1984  Prof. Stanley Gregory

• 1985  Prof. Ron J. Johnston

• 1986  Mr David Bickmore

• 1987  Prof. Monica Cole

• 1988  Dr. Roger Tomlinson

• 1989  Prof. Emeritus Vernon S. Forbes

• 1990  Prof. Jim Rose

• 1991  Mr. Peter Clark

• 1992  Prof. William Buttiker

• 1993  Prof. Paul Claval

• 1994  Dr Andrew Warren

• 1995  Prof. Frank Oldfield

• 1996  Prof. Ronald A. Dodgshon

• 1997  Prof. Anne Buttimer

• 1998  Prof. Susan Smith

• 1999  Prof. Robert Woods

• 2000  Prof. Felix Driver

• 2001  Ann Savours Shirley

• 2002  Prof. David Woodward

• 2003  Prof. David Smith

• 2004  Dr. Tom Spencer

• 2005  Dr. Clive Oppenheimer

• 2006  Prof.Tony Gatrell

• 2007  not awarded

• 2008  Prof.Neil Wrigley

• 2009  Prof. Jenny Robinson

• 2010  Prof. Gerry Kearns

• 2011  Prof. Stuart Elden

• 2012  Prof. Gillian Rose

• 2013  Prof. Kelvyn Jones

• 2014  Prof. John Dearing

• 2015  Prof. Gill Valentine

• 2016  Prof. Parvati Raghuram

• 2017  Prof. Henry Wai-chung Yeung for “pioneering publications in the field of globalisation”.

• 2018  Mark Macklin, "for pioneering research in fluvial geomorphology and its environmental applications"

• 2019 Prof. Mark Birkin "for pioneering work on the development and application of urban analytics"

• 2020 Professor Peter Kraftl

• 2022 Professor David Hannah

• 2023 Professor Noel Castree