The Sir Arthur Clarke Award is a British award given annually since 2005 in recognition of notable contributions to space exploration, particularly British achievements. The awards are presented by the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, although the selection is delegated to the British Interplanetary Society, with the exception of the International award, whose recipient is voted on by the Foundation Nominations for the awards are made by members of the public, with shortlists drawn up by a panel of judges, who also choose the winner. Sir Arthur C. Clarke chose a special award independently of the public nominations.

History

Founded in 2005, the idea for the awards was proposed by Dave Wright to Jerry Stone, who then suggested they be named after Sir Arthur Clarke. Once permission was granted, Jerry Stone decided what the awards should look like, what categories should be included, and how they should be nominated and judged.

Having obtained Sir Arthur's permission for the awards to bear his name, Jerry Stone decided that the awards should have the same proportions (1:4:9) as the monolith featured in Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and be made of glass, as the description on the book of 2001 describes 'a crystalline monolith'. This represents Clarke's science fiction work. The award features the diagram Clarke drew in 1945 in order to demonstrate how satellites can provide global communications around the Earth from geostationary orbit, also called the Clarke Orbit. This represents Clarke's science work. It was co-designed by Howard Berry, who suggested the font and lettering style.

Initially the awards were presented at the UK Space Conference (the British Rocketry Oral History Programme until it was renamed in 2008) which was held annually at Charterhouse School, Surrey, from 1998 to 2010. The association with the conference continues but only in alternate years, as the conference has been bi-annual since 2011.

Not all categories are awarded each year; for example, 2008 was the first year in which nominations were shortlisted in the category of Best Film Presentation. An additional award was given in 2007 and 2008 that was named after and presented by George Abbey, the former director of the Johnson Space Center. It was awarded to those "whose space achievement made us laugh the most".

The award ceremony is similar to the Oscars in that multiple awards are given in various categories at the same event, which is different from other awards given in the field. As a result, the awards have been referred to as the Arthurs. The awards are held in high regard by the international Space community: Due to COVID-19 lockdowns in the United Kingdom, in 2020-21 the Awards could not be run in 2020. Subsequent editions have all been presented the following year, both for consistency and to allow "a full calendar year for achievements to be completed and contributions made".

2023–2024

The 2023 awards were conferred on 12 November 2024 at the British Interplanetary Society's Reinventing Space conference at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London. The judges agreed to return to the pre-COVID system where achievements had to be completed between one award ceremony and the next. To realign the award calendar, nominations were for achievements and contributions in the 2023 calendar year through to September 2024, i.e. 21 months, allowing a return to the pre-COVID 12-month cycle in 2025. +CategoryRecipientIndustry/Project TeamThe Space Cluster & ESA Business Incubation TeamIndustry/Project IndividualAndrew Cawthorne, Surrey Satellite TechnologyAcademic Study/Research TeamThe UK Cluster Mission TeamAcademic Study/Research IndividualProfessor Anthony IllingworthEducation and Outreach TeamThe SUN TeamEducation and Outreach IndividualSophie Allan, National Space AcademyStudentJoaquin Perez-GrandeMedia, broadcast and written, TeamThe 'Our Fragile Space' TeamMedia, broadcast and written, IndividualAndy SaundersLifetime AchievementRobert BaldwinInternational AchievementElisabetta Monnini, Leonardo Italy

2022 The 2022 awards were conferred on 13 October 2023 at The Spine in Liverpool, at the conclusion of the Reinventing Space Conference and as part of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the society in Liverpool. Category Recipient Industry/Project Team The HotSat-1 Project Team, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited Industry/Project Individual Daria ‘Dasha’ Filichkina, Co-Founder AstroAgency Academic Study/Research Team The UK InSight team, Imperial College LondonAcademic Study/Research IndividualProfessor Giovanna Tinetti, University College London Education and Outreach Team The Space Careers UK Team Education and Outreach Individual David Evans Student Mohamed Sherif Fawzi Media, broadcast and written, Team The Aardman Animations’ Shaun the Sheep TeamMedia, broadcast and written, IndividualRob Coppinger, Editor BIS SpaceFlight Magazine Lifetime Achievement Professor John Zarnecki, Open University International Achievement The NASA Voyager Team

2021 The 2021 awards were presented at the Reinventing Space Conference on 30 November 2022 at Bristol Aerospace, in Bristol. Category Recipient Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team The Astroscale ELSA-D Team Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual Professor Gillian WrightSpace Achievement – Academic Study/Research[Not awarded] Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Team The MajorTimSpace Team Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Individual Heidi Thiemann Space Achievement – Student Antonio Duduianu Space Achievement – Media, broadcast and written The BBC’s Infinite Monkey Cage Team Lifetime Achievement Alan Bond International Achievement Miss Wally Funk 2020 The 2020 awards were presented at the Reinventing Space Conference Gala Dinner on Tuesday 29 June 2021, which was delayed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Category Recipient Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team The Goonhilly-6 Deep Space Antenna project team Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual Dr. Alice Bunn, UK Space Agency Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research Prof. Cathryn Mitchell Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Team The SunSpace Art team Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Individual Dr. Sheila Kanani Space Achievement – Student Áine O’Brien Space Achievement – Media, broadcast and written Joanna Durrant Lifetime Achievement Jan Wörner and Prof. Richard Crowther International Achievement Omran Al Sharaf and the UAE Hope Team

2019 The 2019 awards were presented at the Reinventing Space Conference Gala Dinner on Thursday 14 November

Category Recipient Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team RemoveDEBRIS (Simon Fellowes & Prof. Guglielmo Aglietti, University of Surrey) Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual Dr. Jonathan McDowell Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research The Queen's University Belfast 'Oumuamua' Team (Prof. Alan Fitzsimmons) Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Team Space Rocks (Alexander Milas, Twin V and Mark McCaughrean, ESA) Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Individual Helen Schell Space Achievement – Student Heidi Thiemann Space Achievement – Media, broadcast and written Sue Nelson Lifetime Achievement Professor Ken Pounds, University of Leicester International Achievement Dr. Alan Stern and the NASA New Horizons team

2018 The 2018 awards were presented at a gala dinner at the 2018 Reinventing Space Conference at The Royal Aeronautical Society on Thursday 1 November 2018. The finalists were announced on the BIS website on 7 October.

Category Recipient Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team Oxford Space Systems Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual Magali Vaissière Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research The UK Cassini team Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Team The ESERO-UK Space Ambassadors Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Individual Victoria ‘Vix’ Southgate Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual Dave Honess Space Achievement – Student Robert Garner Space Achievement – Media, broadcast and written The BBC 2 ‘Astronauts – Do you have what it takes?’ Team Lifetime Achievement Richard Peckham International Achievement The SpaceX Falcon Team

2017

The 2017 awards were presented at a gala dinner at the 2017 UK Space Conference, held at Manchester Central on Wednesday 31 May 2017.

Category Recipient Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team (Large Projects) Airbus Gaia Team Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team (Small Projects) Oxford Nanopore Technologies Team Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual Alan Bond, Reaction Engines Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research UK Gaia Science Team Space Achievement – Education and Outreach (Team) Science Museum Cosmonauts Exhibition Team (Ian Blatchford, Doug Millard, Natalia Sidlina, and Alexandra Smirnova) Space Achievement – Education and Outreach (Individual) Kathie Bowden, UK Space Agency Space Achievement – Student CranSpace Mars Flyby Team Space Achievement – Media, broadcast and written Dallas Campbell, Science Television Presenter Special Lifetime Space Achievement Piers Sellers Lifetime Space Achievement Paul Flanagan, UKspace International Achievement Roy Gibson, First Director General, European Space Agency

2016

The 2016 awards were presented at a gala dinner at the 2016 Reinventing Space Conference at The Royal Society on Thursday 27 October 2016. The event was sponsored by the UK Space Agency.

Category Recipient Space Achievement – Special Award for Individual Outreach Tim Peake Space Achievement – Education and Outreach The UK Space Agency Principia Education Team Space Achievement – Media: Broadcast and written David Shukman, Science Editor, BBC News Space Achievement – Education Mike Grocott Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team The SSTL Galileo Team Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual Dave Honess Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research Dr. Harry Ward and The LISA Pathfinder Team, University of Glasgow Space Achievement – Student Joseph Dudley, UKSEDS Lifetime Achievement Pat Norris International Achievement The Global VSAT Forum

2015

The 2015 awards were presented at the UK Space Conference Dinner in St George's Hall, Liverpool on Tuesday 14 July 2015. They were sponsored by the UK Space Agency. Category Recipient Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team Beagle 2 Team Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual William Marshall, Planet Labs, San Francisco Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research The Stardust Team, University Of Strathclyde Space Achievement – Education and Outreach The Rosetta/Philae Outreach Team Space Achievement – Student King's College London Msc Students Space Achievement – Media, broadcast and written Richard Hollingham, BBC Future Lifetime Achievement Prof. J L Culhane, Mullard Space International Achievement Dr. Burton Edelson

2014

The Sir Arthur Clarke Awards 2014 were presented at an event at The Royal Aeronautical Society on Wednesday 8 October 2014, by the Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, Dr. David Parker.

Category Recipient Space Achievement – Industry/Project Team The ESA/Industry Rosetta Team (members below) Space Achievement – Industry/Project Individual John Ellwood – Ex ESA Space Achievement – Academic Study/Research Prof. Louise Harra, MSSL, UCL Space Achievement – Education and Outreach Dr. Lucie Green, Dept of Space & Climate Physics, MSSL, UCL Space Achievement – Student The Cranspace Team: Idriss Sisaid, Enrique Gardia Bourne, Edward Anastassacos Space Achievement – Media, Broadcast and Written Arrow Media – "Live from Space" series Lifetime Achievement Colin Pillinger, Open University International Achievement James Lovelock, Author and proposer of the Gaia hypothesis, UK

The specific ESA/Industry Rosetta team members who received the "Space Achievement - Industry/Project Team" award: Dr. Andrea Accomazzo, Rosetta Flight Director, ESOC, Darmstadt