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Michael Faraday previous winners 2006 - 1986

2006 Richard Fortey FRS won the 2006 Michael Faraday Prize and delivered his lecture, 'A natural history of scientists', on 30 January 2007.

2005 Fran Balkwill won the 2005 Michael Faraday Prize and delivered her lecture, 'A silent killer' on Wednesday 25 January.

2004 Martin Rees won the 2004 Michael Faraday Prize. Martin Rees delivered the Michael Faraday lecture Einstein's legacy as scientist and icon on 27 January 2005, you can watch this lecture again online through the Society's web streaming service.

2003   David Attenborough, in recognition of his dedication to communicating, through lectures, books, broadcasts and discussions, the sense of wonder that drives scientific research.  David Attenborough delivered the Michael Faraday lecture on 28 January 2004, on Perception, deception and reality.

2002 Paul Davies, in recognition of his dedication to communicating, through lectures, books, broadcasts and discussions, the sense of wonder that drives scientific research.  Paul Davies delivered the Michael Faraday lecture on 27 January 2003, on 'The origin of life'.

2001 Harold Kroto, for his dedication to the notion of working scientists being communicators of their work and in particular for his establishment of the Vega Science Trust whose films and related activities reflect the excitement of scientific discovery to the public. Harold Kroto delivered the Michael Faraday lecture 'Science, a round peg in a square world' on 29 January 2002.

2000 Lewis Wolpert, for his enormous contribution to the public understanding of science most notably through his Chairmanship of COPUS and his varied and wide-ranging television and radio programmes as well as his regular contributions to the national broadsheet newspapers. For over two decades, Lewis Wolpert has brought public attention to many subjects including depression which still carries considerable social stigma through books, lectures, newspaper articles using his own brand of enthusiasm and charisma.

1999 Robert Winston, for his outstanding contribution to the public understanding of human infertility and in vitro fertilisation. He has published five books as well as contributing to many newspaper articles. He is renowned as a gifted communicator especially to non-scientists, describing complex issues relating to human infertility clearly and without over-simplification. His major contribution has been in the field of television and radio both hosting and contributing to programmes.

1998 Susan Greenfield, for her outstanding talents in communicating to the public how the brain works, popularising brain studies via The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, lecturing both in Britain and overseas to a wide variety of audiences, including young people, both in schools and outside the classroom, and through her activities as an author of popular books, newspaper articles and columns and her many television appearances.

1997 David Phillips, for his outstanding talents in the communication of scientific principles, methods and applications to young audiences through his many demonstration lectures with wit, clarity and enthusiasm on a wide variety of topics from basic science to modern laser research and for his major role in various collaborative ventures for young people with the Royal Institution, the British Association and CREST, and for his popular science articles and contributions to a variety of radio and television broadcasts, combined with his full professional workload as Head of Chemistry at Imperial College and overseeing a research group.

1996 Steve Jones, for his numerous, wide ranging contributions to the public understanding of science in areas such as human evolution and variation, race, sex, inherited disease and genetic manipulation through his many broadcasts on radio and television, his lectures, popular science books, and his regular science column in The Daily Telegraph and contributions to other newspaper media

1995 Ian Stewart, for his work in communicating mathematical ideas to the widest possible range of audiences through his many thought-provoking books and magazine articles, his radio and television presentations, and his energetic public lectures in schools and industry on a variety of mathematical and quasi-mathematical topics.

1994 Walter Bodmer, for his outstanding achievement in raising the public understanding of science and technology as an issue of the highest importance to individual scientists and engineers and to many bodies that represent them.

1993 Ian Fells, for his many written articles for the national press and popular science journals, his public lectures on many platforms often tailored for school children, and his major contribution in broadcasting where he has had an input to over 350 radio and television programmes.

1992 Richard Gregory, for his many popular books and papers, his countless public lectures and television and radio appearances, and his creation of the Exploratory Hands-on Science Centre in Bristol.

1991 George Porter inrecognition of his outstanding contribution to improving the public understanding of science through his many public lecxturees and broadcasts, his directorship of the Royal Institution and presidencies of the Royal Society and British Asociation and his seminal role in the establishment and leadership of COPUS.

1990 Richard Dawkins, for his written, broadcast and public presentations which are accessible, imaginative and enjoyed by large audiences.

1989 Colin Blakemore, for his written, broadcast and public presentations on the science of the brain, which are superbly crafted for lay and expert audiences alike.

1988 Christopher Zeeman, for the contributions he has made to the popularization of mathematics.

1987 Peter Medawar, for the contribution his books had made in presenting to the public, and to scientists themselves, the intellectual nature and the essential humanity of pursuing science at the highest level and the part it played in our modern culture.

1986 Charles Taylor, for his outstanding presentations of physics and applications of physics, aimed at audiences from six-year-old primary school children to adults.