The RCPS Medal Awards celebrate Cornish talent

The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society (RCPS) Medal Awards took place last night, celebrating outstanding Cornish talent in the fields of Science, Industry, and the Arts, by recognising the achievements of nine RCPS Medallists selected by expert panels from each field.

Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE, Lord Robin Teverson of Tregony, and Professor Emma Hunt, Vice-Chancellor of Falmouth University presented all of the Medallists with certificates, while on the night, one of the three in each category was also announced as a Medallist cum laude (with distinction), taking home with them a highly prized RCPS Medal.

The prestigious event was held at the Alverton Hotel, Truro and was attended by the nominees, their guests, selection judges, as well as specially invited guests representing the different sectors across Cornwall.

The Medallists cum laude follow in the steps of other notable recipients, such as Alfred Nobel, who was awarded a Silver Medal in 1865. This year’s relaunch of the Medal Awards takes place almost two hundred years since the RCPS’s founding. By reintroducing the Medal Awards, the intention is to put Cornish creativity and innovation on centre stage, both locally and nationally.

Ginny Button, Chair of The Poly, says:

“We would like to congratulate all of our brilliant Medallists, and Medallists cum laude, and thank them for making the relaunch of the medal awards a really meaningful event.  

“Individually they’ve demonstrated a high level of creativity and innovation and made an outstanding contribution to their fields. Collectively, they represent what we consider to some of the best Cornwall has to offer in the categories of Science, Industry, and the Arts, and we’re proud to be able to champion their work in this way.

We aim to re-establish the Medal Awards as an ongoing showcase of the extraordinary creative talent here, particularly to inspire young people and to encourage collaboration across these sectors.”                                                                                                                                                 

RCPS Medal Awards 2023: The Winners

ARTS

RCPS Medallist cum laude:

Nicola Bealing (painter and printmaker nominated for an extraordinary body of work produced in response to the pandemic) 

RCPS Medallists:

Abigail Reynolds (works across different media including sculpture, print, event and film, nominated for her remarkable Kresen Kernow commission ‘Tre’ and related projects) 

Lisa Wright (painter nominated for her ambitious sculptural installation ‘Future Forest’, commissioned by Forestry England) 

SCIENCE

RCPS Medallist cum laude:

Dr Nick Tregenza (Marine conservationist, specialism in marine acoustics and echo-location design)

RCPS Medallists:

Prof Chris Bass (Applied entomologist, research into insecticide resistance)

Dr Kate Moore (Geologist, research into the impacts and benefits of small-scale mining)

INDUSTRY

RCPS Medallist cum laude:

Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd, Ian Jones and Piran Trezise (Deep space communications networks)

RCPS Medallists:

Bennamann Ltd, Chris Mann (Clean energy for the agricultural industry)

Eliquo Hydrok, Peter Wroe and Lewis O’Brien (Environmentally progressive products and services to the water industry)

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR WINNERS  

ENDS: 21st April 2023