The two medals were awarded to the champions of annual Army and Air Force small-arms marksmanship competitions respectively, at central meetings in the United Kingdom and some countries of the British Commonwealth.

[1][8][9] The Queen's Medal for Champion Shots of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1966 to replace the Naval Good Shooting Medal for naval gunnery champions, the awarding of which had been discontinued in 1914.

It is awarded annually to the winner of a competition, organised under service rifle championship conditions.

It bears a representation of a naked and cloaked Neptune, grasping thunderbolts in both hands and with his right arm drawn back in the act of hurling the missiles.

The inscription is "AMAT VICTORIA CVRAM" (Victory delights in care), as required by King Edward VII.

The design dates back to 1904, when the Deputy Master of the Royal Mint invited students of the Modelling School of the Royal College of Art in South Kensington to submit designs for the reverse of the Naval Good Shooting Medal.

The winning design was submitted by Miss Margaret Winser, while the original die was engraved by George de Saulles.

When medals are not worn, the award of second and subsequent clasps are denoted by silver rosettes on the ribbon bar.