Celebrating winning

The centrepiece for each round of the scheme is a formal Prize-winners dinner at the Guildhall, City of London, followed the day after by an official awards ceremony and reception held by senior members of the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace.

These events set the seal on the two-year cycle of the Prizes.

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Prize-winners dinner

Representatives of the college or university, together with associates, supporters and friends, come together for a glittering celebratory dinner at London’s Guildhall in the February following the announcement of the winners. Their achievement is celebrated in the company of a wide range of guests from all sectors of national life.

This event is supported ceremonially by the Household Division. It is delivered with the help of students following vocational further education courses in catering and hospitality, and by music and performing arts students, as part of their educational curriculum.

Presentation ceremony

The presentation of the Prizes by senior members of the Royal Family customarily takes place the following day in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace. This takes the form of a personal investiture.

Immediately after the ceremony, a reception is hosted by the Palace for the delegations invited by the Lord Chamberlain from the Prize-winning colleges and universities.

The Prize itself

The Prize itself consists of a silver gilt medallion and an illuminated certificate granting the award.

The medal was designed by the late Gerald Benney, one of the leading British silversmiths of the twentieth century, and has latterly been made by Simon Benney, Gerald’s son.

The certificate now in use was the result of a 2009 competition by graphic design students at the Central Saint Martins School of Art, University of the Arts London.