RGS Awards

Established on December 3, 1846. The Konstantin Medal became the first award of the Society. The medal was conceived by the chairman of the Society, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. The first recipient of the Konstantin Medal was Ernst Karlovich Hofmann, the head of the first expedition of the RGS to the Northern Urals (1847-1848) "for his work on the expedition to the Polar Urals", in 1849.

In 2010, after almost a century-long break (since 1926), the awarding of the Konstantin Medal, the main award of the Society, resumed. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the RGS, presented the award to Nikolai Nikolaevich Drozdov, a biogeographer and TV presenter. The medal is awarded to members of the Society for great achievements in geographical science and exceptional contribution to the activities of the Society.

Over the years, the medal was awarded to:

(1858) Ivan Sergeevich Aksakov, for research on trade at Ukrainian fairs;

(1863) Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl, for “Explanatory Dictionary of the Great Russian Language”;

(1874) Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky, for scientific research and geographical discoveries and travels to Mongolia and the Tangut country;

(1878) Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, for exploring and sailing the Arctic Ocean along the northern coasts of Western and Eastern Siberia;

(1897) Fridtjof Nansen, for his feat, which marked an epoch in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean.;

(1900) Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev, for his works on the geology of Asia;

(1902) Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov, for the Tibetan expedition of 1899-1901;

(1905) Aleksandr Vasilyevich Kolchak, for his participation in the expedition of Baron E.V. Toll and especially for the trip to Bennett Island;

(1907) Grigory Efimovich Grumm-Grzhimailo, for the total set of works on the geography of Asia and for the work "Description of a trip to Western China. Vol. 3".

Has been awarded since 1946. According to the Regulations on Awards of the RGS of 1998, the Grand Gold Medal for Scientific Work is awarded, in particular, for: an important geographical feat, which involves difficulty and danger; conducted scientific expeditions in Russia and other countries, if their results have become widely known and contain completely new and extremely important information in the field of geography; outstanding research on the theory of geography, contributing to the further development of geography as a science. The Society's Grand Gold Medal for Scientific Work is awarded once every two to three years and only for works bearing the author's name.

This medal was awarded to the largest geographical studies of the 1950s and 1980s. Among the awardees are Vladimir Mikhailovich Kotlyakov, Ivan Dmitrievich Papanin, Aleksey Fedorovich Treshnikov.

To encourage statistical and ethnographic works, the Grand Gold Medal of the Ethnography and Statistics Department was established in 1879, which was equivalent to the Small Gold Medals of the Society. It was awarded up to and including 1930.

For the first time, medals were awarded to N.P. Zolotnitsky for the Chuvash-Russian dictionary and V.I. Orlov for statistical research carried out on behalf of the Moscow Provincial Zemstvo in 1879.

Over the years, the medal was awarded to:

(1881) Grigory Nikolaevich Potanin, for his work “Ocherki Severo-Zapadnoj Mongolii” (eng. "Notes on the North-Western Mongolia");

(1899) Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr, for his work "Collections of Vardan's Parables: Materials for the History of Medieval Armenian Literature";

(1901) Nikolai Vasilyevich Slyunin, for his essay “Ohotsko-Kamchatskij krai” (eng. "Okhotsk-Kamchatka Territory") and his work on the study of the Okhotsk-Kamchatka coast.

Established in 2014. It is awarded for achievements in scientific, organizational, and other activities related to the conduct of expeditions and/or the implementation of projects of the Russian Geographical Society.

In 1895, the Silver Medal was established in memory of the merits of N.M. Przhevalsky. It was awarded for trips to little-known or completely unknown areas. The award was discontinued after 1930. Awarding was resumed after 1946, in the form of a gold medal, which is currently awarded for new and important geographical discoveries in deserts and mountainous countries, geographically important land exploration of vast and little-explored areas, expeditionary research about the peoples of Russia and other countries, as well as for scientific works on cartography, geodesy, mathematical geography and geomorphology devoted to topical issues of scientific development.

Over the years, the medal was awarded to:

(1892) Nikolai Ivanovich Andrusov, for a trip to the Crimea, the Caucasus, and the Transcaspian Region;

(1895) Yuli Aleksandrovich Schmidt, for geodetic work in Central Asia;

(1898) Leonard Antonovich Yachevsky, for the physico-geographical and geological study of Siberia;

(1905) Andrey Vladimirovich Zhuravsky, for his participation in two expeditions to the Bolshezemelskaya tundra;

(1910) Vladimir Andreevich Dubyansky, for his works on the study of the sands of Central Asia and European Russia.;

(1924) Nikolai Nikolaevich Urvantsev, for his participation in the founding of the polar city of Norilsk and its mining and metallurgical combine.

Established in 1899 in memory of the merits of the Vice-Chairman of the Society, P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. The award was discontinued after 1930, and the awarding of the gold medal was resumed after 1946. The medal is still awarded for geographical descriptions of Russia and other countries, research on environmental protection and the rational use of natural resources.

They were first awarded to S.L. Gedin in 1899 for a 4-year journey in Central Asia. In the same year, M.A. Lyalina was awarded the P.P. Semenov Silver Medal for popularizing the geographical works of Russian travelers.ъOver the years, the medal was awarded to:

(1906) Pyotr Yulievich Schmidt, for his work on the study of the physical and geographical conditions of the waters of Russia, mainly in the Far East.;

(1909) Lev Semenovich Berg, for his work on the study of the Aral Sea and a physico-geographical monograph on this basin, as well as for the totality of his works on physical geography.;

(1910) Gottfried Merzbacher, for his work on the study of the Tien Shan.

Wishing to preserve the memory of the merits of former Vice-chairman Fyodor Petrovich Litke to the Society and geographical science, on December 21, 1873, the IRGS established a medal named after him. The F.P. Litke Gold Medal is awarded for: new and important geographical discoveries in the World Ocean and polar countries; major coastal observations; extensive hydrological observations of lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water; the study of permafrost and glaciers, their formation, development, and role in geographical processes; conducting a large number of long-term climatological observations if they lead to important scientific results.

For the first time in 1874, Konstantin Stepanovich Staritsky was awarded for hydrographic research in the Pacific Ocean and Nil Lvovich Pushchin for magnetic observations in the Caspian Sea.

Over the years, the medal was awarded to:

(1885) Mikhail Vasilyevich Pevtsov, for his work "Ocherk puteshestviya po Mongolii" (eng. "An Essay on the Journey through Mongolia");

(1887) Wladimir Petrovich Köppen, for his work on zoo- and phytogeography;

(1907) Leonid Ludvigovich Breitfuss, for his overall work on the study of the physical, geographical, and biological conditions of the Barents Sea.

Established in 2014. It is awarded for expeditionary activities in the Arctic and Antarctic, participation in the development of the polar regions, and for scientific research in the Arctic latitudes that contribute to the involvement of offshore and other mineral deposits in economic activities.

Established in 2012. Awarded for: the development of new methods and scientific foundations for the preservation of the natural and/or cultural heritage of Russia and the organization of conservation in the Russian Federation; outstanding contribution to the study and practical protection of natural and/or cultural heritage of Russia; writings and research in the field of geoecology, ecological geography, rational use of natural resources and conservation.

Established in 2014. Awarded for: research in the field of ethnography, anthropology, historical geography, cultural heritage; outstanding travels in Russia and abroad; achievements in the field of preservation of historical and cultural heritage.

Established in 2014. It is awarded for long-term and effective activities aimed at popularizing the achievements of Russian geography, history, and modern activities of the RGS, obtaining unique photo and video materials in the field of geography in extreme conditions.

The Personal Scholarship is awarded for the best scientific work of young scientists (students and postgraduates) in the field of geography and related sciences.

The amount of the Personal Scholarship is determined by the decision of the Governing Council of the Society. The award is given in the amount of at least ten per year. The funds necessary for the payment of the Personal Scholarship are allocated to the Russian Geographical Society by providing an appropriate grant. The decision on the award of the scholarship is posted on the Society's website.

The Certificate of Merit is awarded for activities that contribute to the achievement of the Society’s statutory goals and objectives. Its presentation is usually timed to coincide with an anniversary or other memorable date or a significant event of the Society. The decision on awarding Certificates of Merit is posted on the Society’s website.

The Honorary Diploma is awarded annually for the best scientific papers, research, and practical achievements in the field of geography and related sciences. The diploma can be awarded to the teams of authors for scientific work.

The works are provided in Russian, printed on electronic media or in a typographic way. At the same time, it is mandatory to provide brief biographical information about the authors with a list of the main scientific works.

The decision on awarding Honorary Diplomas is posted on the Society's website.

The S.I. Dezhnev Award is awarded once a year for the best scientific papers and research on the geography of Northeast Asia carried out during the last three years preceding the year of the next competition. This award can be presented exclusively to scientific works of individual Russian citizens and author groups.

The works are provided in Russian, printed on electronic media or in a typographic way. At the same time, it is mandatory to provide brief biographical information about the authors with a list of the main scientific works.

The funds necessary for the award are allocated by the Russian Geographical Society through the provision of an appropriate grant. The award decision is posted on the Society’s website. The award given for collective work is divided equally among all authors in the absence of an indication of the share of each author's work.