This medal will recognize excellence in science communication across different media, whether in writing, broadcasting, music, film, or fine art.

This takes account of the great diversity, richness, creativity, and scope that science communicators use to reach a wide popular audience...

I am very pleased to support and honour the work of science communicators, and look forward to awarding The Stephen Hawking Medal at STARMUS Festivals."

The design of the medal used a portrait of Professor Hawking by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to perform a spacewalk and member of the Advisory Board of Starmus since its first edition.

The other side combines the image of Alexei Leonov during the first spacewalk, and the “Red Special” – Brian May’s guitar – to demonstrate music, another major component of the Starmus Festival.