[1] It was founded in 1916 by A. C. Benson who was a Fellow of the Society, to honour those who produce "meritorious works in poetry, fiction, history, and belles-lettres".
The medal is awarded at irregular intervals for lifelong achievement.
Recipients include: Edmund Blunden, Anita Desai, Maureen Duffy,[1] E. M. Forster,[2] Christopher Fry,[1] John Gawsworth,[3] Nadine Gordimer, Philip Larkin,[1] R. K. Narayan[4] A. L. Rowse,[5] George Santayana,[1] Wole Soyinka,[6] Lytton Strachey, J. R. R. Tolkien,[1] and Helen Waddell.
[7] In November 2020, the new design for the medal by Linda Crook was unveiled.
The design includes books on one side, and people on the other.