The De Beers Gold Medal is awarded for outstanding achievement in any of the following facets of any branch of physics: research, education, technology and industrial development. As the highest standards will be applied, the ward is intended to be the greatest distinction that can be conferred in South Africa for achievement in physics.

The next De Beers Gold Medal will be presented in 2008.

Past winners of the De Beers Gold Medal

According to the constituion

6. GOLD MEDAL AWARD

   1. The award is in the form of a gold medal with the design as determined by Council in consultation with the sponsor.

   2. The award will be made for outstanding achievement in any of the following facets of any branch of physics: research, education, technology and industrial development. As the highest standards will be applied, the award is intended to be the greatest distinction that can be conferred in South Africa for achievement in physics.

   3. Following every election of Council, it will appoint a selection committee consisting of four members of the SAIP who are active in different branches of physics to serve for two years. This committee may, with the approval of the President or Vice-President, consult outsiders on the merits of nominees for the award.

   4. The conferring of the award (and in exceptional cases, two awards) will be considered every second year by the selection committee. The award cannot be divided and only one award will be made to any one person.

   5. All members will be invited to nominate physicists for the award. The submission must consist of a full Curriculum Vitae of the nominee, accompanied by a full motivation that must clearly describe the fields of activity in physics in which the nominee has excelled, what her/his actual contributions were and the standards by which these contributions have been measured. Nominees must have been normally resident in South Africa up to the closing date set by Council for the receipt of nominations. Only work done by a SA citizen or someone with a permanent residence permit will be considered for this purpose. The work must have been done in South Africa or during a temporary visit abroad.

   6. If satisfied with the standard of achievement of nominees, the selection committee will propose a single candidate for the award (or in exceptional cases, two candidates for two awards). A list of all nominees and the motivations for each nominee must be submitted to Council even if no award is recommended by the committee.

   7. At a Council meeting, Council members will support or oppose, by means of a secret ballot, the award being made to the candidate (or separately to each of the two candidates). An award will not be made to a candidate when this is opposed by more than two council member, in which case Council may refer the unsuccessful nominations back to the selection committee for reconsideration.

   8. The announcement of the award winner, reading of the citation, and presentation of the award, will take place at the dinner held in conjunction with the annual conference in the year in which the medal is awarded.