The Plowden Medal is awarded annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the conservation profession and whose nomination would be widely welcomed within the conservation community.
Established in 1999 to commemorate the life and work of the late Hon. Anna Plowden CBE (1938 – 1997), this medal was endowed by the Royal Warrant Holders Association, of which she was Vice-President.
A Selection Board, drawn from the conservation community, the Royal Collection and the Royal Warrant Holders Association will consider nominations in June 2026. Please click here for the online form and the guidelines.
The final date for the receipt of nominations is Friday 15 May 2026. The award will be presented at an event in the Autumn.
Professor Aviva Burnstock, winner of the Plowden Medal 2025
Chair Tim Knox CVO and 2025 panellists Deborah Pocock LVO, Tobit Curteis, Emma Jhita CEO of Icon, and Dr Bronwyn Ormsby
Previous Winners
Last year’s winner was Professor Aviva Burnstock.
Previous winners have been;
- Garry Thomson CBE (1999),
- Dr Jonathan Ashley-Smith (2000),
- Donald Insall CBE (2001),
- Dr David Leigh (2002),
- Clare Meredith (2003),
- Christopher Clarkson (2004),
- Carole Milner (2005),
- James Black (2006),
- Dr Vincent Daniels (2007),
- David Pinniger (2008),
- Professor Nicholas Pickwoad (2009),
- David Watkinson (2010),
- Kate Colleran (2011),
- Professor May Cassar (2012),
- Jonathan Betts MBE (2013),
- Dr Jim Tate (2014),
- Nancy Bell (2015),
- Sarah Staniforth (2015),
- Ksynia Marko (2016),
- Professor Sharon Cather (2017),
- Alan Derbyshire (2018),
- Caroline Bendix (2019),
- Katy Lithgow (2020),
- Stephen Clare MBE, Professor Jane Henderson FIIC (2021),
- Julie Dawson ACR FIIC (2022),
- Professor Sarah Brown (2023),
- Dr Bronwyn Ormsby (2024)