Nominations open for The Royal Society of Tasmania Medals on Offer in 2026
RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
The RST will offer two medals in 2026: The Royal Society of Tasmania Medal and the Peter Smith Medal.
The Call for Medal Nominations opens on 30 June and information will be posted on the RST homepage. Nominations for these medals close on 31 August.
Note: Nominations may be made by anyone, although self-nominations are not accepted.
The Royal Society of Tasmania Medal is awarded every four years to a scholar for substantial original research in any subject within the Society’s purview. A significant part of the research shall have been conducted while the recipient was a resident of Tasmania.
The recipient must have been, in the view of Council, an active member of the Society for at least five years. The awardee receives a medal and will be invited to deliver “The Royal Society of Tasmania Lecture” to the Society.
The first award of The Royal Society of Tasmania medal was in 1927.
Conditions of the medal nomination and nomination guidelines for The Royal Society of Tasmania medal are available here.
The previous winner of The Royal Society of Tasmania medal was Dr Eric Ratcliff OAM.
The Peter Smith Medal is awarded biennially to an outstanding early career researcher in any field. The research should have been largely carried out in Tasmania or under the aegis of a Tasmanian-based organisation and within the Society’s purview. The awardee receives a medal and will be invited to deliver “The Peter Smith Lecture” to the Society.
For the purpose of this medal, “early career” means within the first seven years since the award of a PhD, at the time of the nomination deadline. Extensions to the seven years post-PhD eligibility requirement will be offered to applicants whose career has been interrupted to accommodate carer responsibilities, illness or other circumstances.
Past recipients of the Peter Smith medal and nomination guidelines for the medal are available here.
The previous winner of the Peter Smith medal was Dr Edward Doddridge.
Richard Coleman (Chair) on behalf of the RST Honours and Awards Committee, June 2026.
The Royal Society of Tasmania acknowledges, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, and the ongoing custodianship of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. The Society pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples have survived severe and unjust impacts resulting from invasion and dispossession of their Country. As an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, the Royal Society of Tasmania recognises Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices and seeks to respect and honour these traditions and the deep understanding they represent.
On 15 February 2021, the Royal Society of Tasmania offered a formal RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
