User:Labattblueboy/sandbox
This list is automatically generated from data in Wikidata and is periodically updated by Listeriabot.
Edits made within the list area will be removed on the next update!
| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer (1794–1843) | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer (1839–1870) | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier (1846–1900) | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer (1892–1950) | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer (1889–1962) | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer (1898–1977) | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher (1901–1970) | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author (1910-1997) | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937–2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | British biogeomorphologist | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer (1794–1843) | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer (1839–1870) | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier (1846–1900) | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer (1892–1950) | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer (1889–1962) | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer (1898–1977) | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher (1901–1970) | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author (1910-1997) | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937–2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | British biogeomorphologist | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer (1794–1843) | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer (1839–1870) | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier (1846–1900) | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer (1892–1950) | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer (1889–1962) | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer (1898–1977) | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher (1901–1970) | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author (1910-1997) | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937–2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | British biogeomorphologist | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer (1794–1843) | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer (1839–1870) | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier (1846–1900) | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer (1892–1950) | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer (1889–1962) | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer (1898–1977) | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher (1901–1970) | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | British biogeomorphologist | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer (1794–1843) | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer (1839–1870) | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier (1846–1900) | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer (1892–1950) | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer (1889–1962) | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer (1898–1977) | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher (1901–1970) | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | British biogeomorphologist | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer (1839–1870) | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher (1901–1970) | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | British biogeomorphologist | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer (1839–1870) | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | British biogeomorphologist | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer (1804–1834) | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer (1808–1840) | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer (1800–1874) | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist (1797–1873) | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer (1820–1857) | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist (1791–1875) | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer (1827–1864) | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer (1821–1861) | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer (1816–1869) | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist (1820–1889) | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer (1858–1895) | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer (1844–1935) | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist (1851–1917) | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general (1858–1940) | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author (1845–1934) | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer (1836–1921) | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor (1834–1923) | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer (1858–1945) | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer (1885–1960) | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer (1889–1946) | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer (1884–1954) | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer (1907–1932) | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator (1884–1961) | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer (1908–1999) | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer (1897–2001) | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer (1921–2007) | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010) | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist (1914–2002) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947–2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist (1938–2023) | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral (1842-1920), captain of the Vega expedition | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
|sparql= SELECT ?item ?year ?rationale WHERE { ?item p:P166 ?x. ?x ps:P166 wd:Q26268774. ?x pq:P585 ?time BIND(year(?time) as ?year) OPTIONAL {?x pq:P6208 ?rationale} }
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer, military officer, writer and botanical collector (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of Sarawak (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English geographer, statistician, eugenicist (1822-1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Hermann Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | 1842 | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | 1849 | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | 1868 | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | 1873 | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | 1880 | |
| For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | 1881 | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| For eminent services to scientific Geography | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | 1883 | |
| For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | 1884 | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | 1908 | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | 1928 | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | 1936 | |
| For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | 1938 | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | 1948 | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | 1962 | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| For Arctic exploration and research | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | 1968 | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | 1976 | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | Michael Batty | British academic | 2015 | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | 2018 | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography |
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|columns=?year:Year,label:Name,P18:Image,description:Description,?rationale:Award Rationale
|thumb=128
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}}
| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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ORDER BY ?time ?item
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|references=all
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}}
| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
|sparql= SELECT ?item ?year ?rationale WHERE { ?item p:P166 ?x. ?x ps:P166 wd:Q26268774. ?x pq:P585 ?time BIND(year(?time) as ?year) OPTIONAL {?x pq:P6208 ?rationale} }
ORDER BY ?time ?item
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
|sparql= SELECT ?item ?year ?rationale WHERE { ?item p:P166 ?x. ?x ps:P166 wd:Q26268774. ?x pq:P585 ?time BIND(year(?time) as ?year) OPTIONAL {?x pq:P6208 ?rationale} }
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}}
| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | British geographer and scientific collector ( 1937– 2014) | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
|sparql= SELECT ?item ?year ?rationale WHERE { ?item p:P166 ?x. ?x ps:P166 wd:Q26268774. ?x pq:P585 ?time BIND(year(?time) as ?year) OPTIONAL {?x pq:P6208 ?rationale} }
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}}
| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914) | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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| Year | Name | Image | Description | Award Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Richard Lemon Lander | Cornish explorer | For the discovery of the course of the River Niger or Quorra, and its outlets in the Gulf of Benin | |
| 1833 | John Biscoe | English mariner and explorer | For the discovery of the land now named "Enderby's Land" and "Graham's Land" in the Antarctic Ocean | |
| 1834 | John Ross | Scottish naval officer and polar explorer (1777–1856) | For his discovery of Boothia Felix and King William Land and for his famous sojourn of four winters in the Arctic | |
| 1835 | Alexander Burnes | British explorer and political officer in British India (1805-1841) | For his remarkable and important journeys through Persia | |
| 1836 | George Back | British Royal Navy admiral (1796–1878) | For his recent discoveries in the Arctic, and his memorable journey down the Great Fish River | |
| 1837 | Robert Fitzroy | Royal Navy officer and scientist (1805–1865) | For his survey of the coasts of South America, from the Rio de la Plata to Guayaquil in Peru | |
| 1838 | Francis Rawdon Chesney | British Army general | For valuable materials in comparative and physical geography in Syria, Mesopotamia and the delta ofSusiana | |
| 1839 | Thomas Simpson | Scottish arctic explorer | For tracing the hitherto unexplored coast to the west between Return Reef and point Barrow, in 1837; and during the past year has discovered 90 miles of coast eastward from Point Turnagain of Franklin, on the norther shore of America. | |
| 1840 | Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet | British politician (1810-1895) | l for his travels and researches in Susiana and Persian Kurdistan, and for the light thrown by hom on the comparative geography of Western Asia. | |
| 1841 | Henry Raper | British Royal Navy officer (1799-1859) | For excellent work on Practical Navigation and Nautical Astronomy | |
| 1842 | James Clark Ross | British explorer and naval officer (1800–1862) | For his brilliant achievement at the South Pole, to within less than 12° of which he safely navigated hisvessels, discovering a great Antarctic continent | |
| 1843 | Edward John Eyre | British explorer and colonial administrator (1815–1901) | For his enterprising and extensive explorations in Australia, under circumstances of peculiar difficulty | |
| 1844 | William John Hamilton | British geologist (1805-1867) | For valuable researches in Asia Minor | |
| 1845 | Charles Tilstone Beke | British geographer | For his exploration in Abyssinia | |
| 1846 | Paweł Strzelecki | Polish explorer and geologist | For exploration in the south eastern portion of Australia | |
| 1847 | Charles Sturt | Australian explorer (1795-1869) | For explorations in Australia, and especially for his journey fixing the limit of Lake Torrens and penetrating into the heart of the continent to lat. 24° 30'S, long. 138° 0'E | |
| 1848 | James Brooke | White Rajah of (1803-1868) | For his expedition to Borneo, and the zeal he has shown in promoting geographical discovery | |
| 1849 | Austen Henry Layard | British politician (1817–1894) | For important contributions to Asiatic Geography, interesting researches in Mesopotamia, and for his discovery of the remains of Nineveh | |
| 1852 | John Rae | Scottish explorer (1813-1893) | For his survey of Boothia undermost severe privations and for his very important contributions to the Geography of the Arctic | |
| 1853 | Francis Galton | English polymath: geographer, statistician, eugenicist (*1822 – †1911) | For fitting out and conducting in Expedition to explore the centre of Southern Africa | |
| 1854 | William Henry Smyth | English naval officer and hydrographer (1788-1865) | For his valuable Maritime Surveys in the Mediterranean | |
| 1856 | Elisha Kent Kane | American explorer and military medical officer | For services and discoveries in the Polar Regions during the American Expeditions in search of Sir JohnFranklin | |
| 1857 | Augustus Charles Gregory | Australian explorer (1819-1905) | For extensive and important explorations in Western and Northern Australia | |
| 1858 | Richard Collinson | British Royal Navy admiral (1811-1883) | For discoveries in the Arctic Regions | |
| 1859 | Richard Francis Burton | British explorer, geographer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer, and diplomat (1821–1890) | For his various exploratory enterprises, and especially for his perilous expedition with Captain. J. H. Speke tothe great lakes in Eastern Africa | |
| 1860 | Jane Franklin | British explorer and philanthropist | For self-sacrificing perseverance in sending out expeditions to ascertain the fate of her husband | |
| 1861 | John Hanning Speke | British military officer and explorer | For his eminent geographical discoveries in Africa, and especially his discovery of the great lake Victoria Nyanza | |
| 1862 | Robert O'Hara Burke | Australian explorer | In remembrance of that gallant explorer who with his companion Wills, perished after having traversed the continent of Australia | |
| 1863 | Francis Thomas Gregory | English-born Australian explorer and politician (1821–1888) | For successful explorations in Western Australia | |
| 1864 | James Augustus Grant | Scottish explorer and collector (1827 – 1892) | For his journey across Eastern Equatorial Africa with Captain Speke | |
| 1865 | Thomas George Montgomerie | English surveyor who worked in India (1830-1878) | For his great trigonometrical journey from the plains of the Punjab to the Karakoram Range | |
| 1866 | Thomas Thomson | Scottish doctor and botanist (1817-1878) | For his researches in the Western Himalayas and Thibet | |
| 1867 | Aleksei Butakov | Russian admiral and explorer | For being first to launch and navigate ships in the Sea of Aral and for his survey of the mouths of the Oxus | |
| 1868 | August Heinrich Petermann | German cartographer (1822-1878) | For his important services as a Writer and Cartographer and Science, and for his well-known publication the Geographische Mitteilungen which for twelve years has greatly aided the process of Geography. | |
| 1869 | Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld | Finland Swedish baron, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer (1832–1901) | For designing and carrying out the Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen ... whereby great additions havebeen made to our acquitance with zoology, botany, geology and meteorology | |
| 1870 | George W. Hayward | British explorer | For his journey into Eastern Turkistan, and for reaching the Pamir Steppe | |
| 1871 | Roderick Murchison, 1st Baronet | British geologist (1792-1871) | Who for 40 years watched over the Society with more than paternal solicitude, and has at length placed it among the foremost of our scientific Societies | |
| 1872 | Henry Yule | Scottish orientalist | For eminent services to Geography | |
| 1873 | Ney Elias | British explorer (1844-1897) | For his enterprise and ability in surveying the course of the Yellow River, and for his journey through Western Mongolia | |
| 1874 | Georg August Schweinfurth | German explorer and scientist (1836-1925) | For his explorations in Africa | |
| 1875 | Carl Georg Ludwig Wilhelm Weyprecht | Austrian explorer (1838-1881) | For his enterprise and ability in command of expeditions to Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla | |
| 1876 | Verney Lovett Cameron | traveller from England (1844–1894) | For his journey across Africa from Zanzibar to Benguela, and his survey of Lake Tanganyika | |
| 1877 | George Nares | British naval officer and Arctic explorer (1831-1915) | For having commanded the Arctic Expedition of 1875/6, during which ships and sledge parties reached a higher Northern latitude than had previously been attained | |
| 1878 | Ferdinand von Richthofen | German traveller, geographer and scientist (1833-1905) | For his extensive travels and scientific explorations in China | |
| 1879 | Nikolay Przhevalsky | Russian soldier, explorer, & geographer (1839-1888) | For successive expeditions and route-surveys in Mongolia and the high plateau of Northern Tibet | |
| 1880 | Louis Palander | Swedish admiral | For his services in connection with the Swedish Arctic Expeditions in the Vega | |
| 1881 | Alexandre de Serpa Pinto | Explorer and soldier | For his journey across Africa during which he explored 500 miles of new country | |
| 1882 | Gustav Nachtigal | German physician, consul-general and explorer of Central and West Africa | For his journeys through the Eastern Sahara | |
| 1883 | Joseph Dalton Hooker | British botanist, lichenologist, and surgeon (1817–1911) | For eminent services to scientific Geography | |
| 1884 | Archibald Ross Colquhoun | Rhodesian politician (1848–1914) | For his journey from Canton to the Irrawadi | |
| 1885 | Joseph Thomson | Scottish geologist and explorer | For his zeal, promptitude and success during two expeditions into East Central Africa | |
| 1886 | Adolphus Greely | American army officer and polar explorer | For having so considerably added to our knowledge of the shores of the Polar Sea and the interior of Grinnell Land | |
| 1887 | Thomas Holdich | English geographer, writer and soldier; surveyed the Indian frontier, and Chilean-Argentine border | For zeal and devotion in carrying out surveys of Afghanistan | |
| 1888 | Clements Markham | British geographer (1830-1916) | In acknowledgment or the value or his numerous contributions to geographical literature ... on his retirement from the Secretaryship of the Society after 25 years’ service | |
| 1889 | Arthur Douglas Carey | British traveller in Central Asia (?-1936) | For his remarkable journey in Central Asia during which he travelled 4750 miles through regions never visited by an Englishman | |
| 1890 | Emin Pasha | German colonial governor (1840-1892) | For the great services he rendered to Geography during his twelve years’ administration of the Equatorial Province of Egypt | |
| 1891 | James Hector | Scottish born New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon (1834-1907) | For investigations pursued as Naturalist to the Palliser expedition | |
| 1892 | Alfred Russel Wallace | British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist (1823-1913) | The well-known naturalist and traveller and co-discoverer with Charles Darwin of the theory of natural selection, in recognition of the high geographical value of his great works | |
| 1893 | Frederick Selous | British explorer, officer, hunter, and conservationist | In recognition of twenty years’ exploration and surveys in South Africa | |
| 1894 | Hamilton Bower | British general | For his remarkable journey across Tibet, from west to east | |
| 1895 | John Murray | Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist | For services to physical Geography, especially oceanography, and for his work on board the Challenger | |
| 1896 | William MacGregor | British colonial governor and administrator (1846-1919) | For services to Geography in British New Guinea, in exploring, mapping and giving information on the natives | |
| 1897 | Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky | Russian geographer, art collector and statistician | For his long-continued efforts in promoting Russian exploration in Central Asia | |
| 1898 | Sven Hedin | Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, travel writer and illustrator (1865-1952) | For important exploring work in Central Asia | |
| 1899 | Louis Gustave Binger | French explorer (1856-1936) | For valuable work within the great bend of the Niger | |
| 1900 | Henry Hugh Peter Deasy | British Army officer and businessman (1866-1947) | For exploring and survey work in Central Asia | |
| 1901 | Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi | Italian explorer | For his journey to the summit of Mount St. Elias, and for his Arctic voyage in the Stella Polare | |
| 1902 | Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard | British colonial administrator (1858-1945) | For persistent attention to African Geography | |
| 1903 | Douglas William Freshfield | British lawyer, mountaineer and author | In recognition of his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the Caucasus | |
| 1904 | Harry Johnston | British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927) | For his many valuable services towards the exploration of Africa | |
| 1905 | Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington | British politician (1856-1937) | For explorations in the mountain regions of Spitsbergen | |
| 1906 | Alfred Grandidier | French naturalist and explorer | The veteran French savant who for forty years has devoted himself to the exploration of Madagascar, and for his monumental work on the island in 52 large quarto volumes | |
| 1907 | Francisco Moreno | Argentinian explorer and naturalist (1852–1919) | For extensive explorations in the Patagonian Andes | |
| 1908 | Boyd Alexander | British Army officer, explorer and ornithologist (1873-1910) | For his three years’ journey across Africa from the Niger to the Nile | |
| 1909 | Aurel Stein | Hungarian-British archaeologist (1862-1943) | For his extensive explorations in Central Asia, and in particular his archaeological work | |
| 1910 | Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen | English geologist, topographer and surveyor | For geographical discoveries and surveys along the North-eastern frontier of India, especially his pioneerexploring in the Karakoram | |
| 1911 | Pyotr Kozlov | Russian explorer (1863–1935) | For explorations in the Gobi desert, Northern Tibet and Mongolia | |
| 1912 | Charles Montagu Doughty | British poet (1843-1926) | For his remarkable exploration in Northern Arabia, and for his classic work in which the results weredescribed | |
| 1914 | Albrecht Penck | German geologist and geographer | For his advancement of almost every branch of scientific geography, and in particular his idea of anInternational map of the world on the millionth scale | |
| 1915 | Douglas Mawson | Australian geologist and explorer of the Antarctic (1882-1958) | For his conduct of the Australian Antarctic Expedition which achieved highly important scientific results | |
| 1916 | Percy Fawcett | British explorer, anthropologist and archaeologist | For his contributions to the mapping of South America | |
| 1917 | David George Hogarth | British archaeologist (1862-1927) | For explorations in Asiatic Turkey | |
| 1918 | Gertrude Bell | British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926) | For her important explorations and travels in Asia Minor, Syria, Arabia and on the Euphrates | |
| 1919 | Evan Maclean Jack | British cartographer (1873-1951) | For his geographical work on the Western Front | |
| 1920 | St John Philby | English Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer | For his two journeys in South Central Arabia | |
| 1921 | Vilhjalmur Stefansson | Canadian-born explorer (1879–1962) | For his distinguished services in the exploration of the Arctic Ocean | |
| 1922 | Charles Howard-Bury | British soldier, explorer, botanist and Conservative politician (1883-1963) | For his distinguished services in command of the Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1923 | Knud Rasmussen | Danish explorer and anthropologist | For exploration and research in the Arctic regions | |
| 1924 | Ahmed Hassanein Pasha | Egyptian courtier, diplomat, politician, and explorer | For his journey to Kutara and Darfur | |
| 1925 | Charles Granville Bruce | British mountain climber | For lifelong geographical work in the exploration of the Himalaya and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition of 1922 | |
| 1926 | Edward Felix Norton | British army officer and mountaineer | For his distinguished leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1924, and his ascent to 28,100 feet | |
| 1927 | Kenneth Mason | British geographer | For his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shakshagam Expedition | |
| 1928 | Tom George Longstaff | British explorer (1875-1964) | For long-continued geographical work in the Himalaya | |
| 1929 | Francis Rodd, 2nd Baron Rennell | British Army general (1895-1978) | For his journeys in the Sahara and his studies of the Tuareg people | |
| 1930 | Frank Kingdon-Ward | British botanist (1885-1958) | For geographical exploration, and work on botanical distribution in China and Tibet | |
| 1931 | Bertram Thomas | Civil servant and explorer | For geographical work in Arabia and his successful crossing of the Rub al Khali | |
| 1932 | Gino Watkins | British Arctic explorer | For his work in the Arctic Regions, especially as leader of the British Arctic Air Route Expedition | |
| 1933 | James Wordie | Scottish polar explorer | For work in Polar explorations | |
| 1934 | Hugh Ruttledge | British colonial administrator | For his journeys in the Himalayas and his leadership of the Mount Everest Expedition, 1933 | |
| 1935 | Ralph Alger Bagnold | English 20th-century desert explorer, geologist and soldier | For journeys in the Libyan Desert | |
| 1936 | George W. Murray | surveyor (1885-1966), working in Egypt | For explorations and surveys in the deserts of Sinai and Eastern Egypt, and his studies of the Badawin tribes | |
| 1937 | Clinton Gresham Lewis | surveyor (1885-1978) | For surveys in Iraq, Syria and the Irrawaddy Delta, and for his work on the Afghan and Turco-Iraq Boundary Commissions | |
| 1938 | John Rymill | Australian explorer (1905–1968) | For the valuable scientific work of his British Grahamland Expedition | |
| 1939 | Arthur Mortimer Champion | surveyor and administrator in British Kenya (1885-1950) | For his surveys of the Turkana Province (Kenya) and the volcanoes south of lake Rudolf | |
| 1940 | Doreen Ingrams | Ingrams [née Shortt], Doreen Constance (1906–1997), actress and traveller | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1940 | Harold Ingrams | British colonial official (1897-1973) | For exploration and studies in the Hadhramaut | |
| 1941 | Pat Clayton | British intelligence officer | For his surveys in the Libyan desert, and his application of his experience to desert warfare. | |
| 1942 | Freya Madeline Stark | British travel writer (1893-1993) | For her travels in the East and her account of them | |
| 1945 | Charles Camsell | Canadian politician and geologist (1876-1958) | For his contributions to the geology of the North | |
| 1946 | Edward Aubrey Glennie | For his work on geodesy in India and his contributions to mapping in the Far East | ||
| 1947 | Martin Hotine | British Army officer (1898–1968) | For research work in Air Survey and for his cartographic work | |
| 1948 | Wilfred Thesiger | British explorer (1910-2003) | For contributions to the Geography of Southern Arabia and for his crossing of the Rub al Khali desert | |
| 1949 | Laurence Dudley Stamp | British geographer (1898-1966) | For his work in organising the Land Utilisation Survey of Great Britain and his application of Geography to National planning | |
| 1950 | George F. Walpole | director of the Department of Lands and Survey, Jordan | For contributions to the mapping of the Western Desert of Egypt | |
| 1951 | Vivian Fuchs | British explorer | For his contributions to Antarctic exploration and his research as leader of the survey 1948-50 | |
| 1952 | Bill Tilman | British explorer | For exploratory work among the mountains of East Africa and Central Asia | |
| 1953 | Patrick Douglas Baird | glaciologist (1912-1984) | For explorations in the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1954 | John Hunt, Baron Hunt | British mountaineer, explorer and army officer (1910-1998) | Leader of the British Mount Everest Expedition | |
| 1955 | John Kirtland Wright | American geographer | For services in the development of geographical research and exploration | |
| 1956 | John Schjelderup Giæver | Norwegian writer and polar researcher | Leader of the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition, for contributions to Polar exploration | |
| 1957 | Ardito Desio | Italian explorer | For geographical exploration and surveys in the Himalayas | |
| 1958 | Paul Siple | American explorer (1908-1968) | For contributions to Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1959 | William Anderson | United States naval officer | For the first trans-Polar submarine voyage in command of USS Nautilus | |
| 1960 | Phillip Law | Australian scientist and explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1961 | Mikhail Somov | Soviet ocenographer and polar explorer | For Antarctic exploration and research | |
| 1962 | Edwin McDonald | United States Navy captain | For coastal explorations in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) | |
| 1963 | Jacques Cousteau | French Naval Officer who co-invented open circuit demand scuba | For underwater exploration and research | |
| 1964 | Louis Leakey | kenyan-British archaeologist and naturalist | For palaeographical exploration and discoveries in East Africa | |
| 1965 | Fred Roots | geologist and explorer (1923–2016) | For Polar exploration and research, with special reference to the Canadian Arctic | |
| 1966 | Edred John Henry Corner | English botanist and mycologist (1906-1996) | For botanical exploration in North Borneo and the Solomon Islands | |
| 1967 | Cláudio Villas-Bôas | Brazilian sertanista (1916-1998) | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1967 | Orlando Villas Bôas | Brazilian anthropologist | For contributions to exploration and development in the Mato Grosso | |
| 1968 | W. Brian Harland | British geologist (1917-2003) | For Arctic exploration and research | |
| 1969 | Rodolfo Panzarini | naval officer and Antarctic explorer | For services to Antarctic exploration and research and to international co-operation in Antarctic science | |
| 1970 | Wally Herbert | British polar explorer (1934-2007) | For Arctic and Antarctic exploration and surveys | |
| 1971 | George Deacon | British oceanographer and chemist (1906-1984) | For oceanographical research and exploration | |
| 1972 | George Stephen Ritchie | Royal Navy admiral (1914-2012) | For hydrographical charting and oceanographical exploration | |
| 1973 | Norman Falcon | British geologist (1904-1996) | Leader, the RGS’s Musandam [North Oman] Expedition. For contributions to the geographical history of thePersian Gulf region | |
| 1974 | Chris Bonington | British mountaineer | For mountain explorations | |
| 1975 | Laurence Kirwan | British archaeologist and geographer | For contributions to the geographical history of the Nubian Nile valley and Eastern Africa, and for services toexploration | |
| 1976 | Brian Birley Roberts | polar expert and ornithologist (1912-1978) | For Polar exploration, and for contributions to Antarctic research and political negotiation | |
| 1977 | Michael John Wise | geographer (1918-2015) | For economic Geography, and for his contributions to international understanding in geographical teaching | |
| 1978 | Reginald Llewellyn Brown | British military officer and surveyor, Director-General of the Ordnance Survey (1895-1983) | For services to the science of map-making | |
| 1979 | David Stoddart | geographer | For contributions to geomorphology, the study of coral reefs and the history of academic Geography | |
| 1980 | William Richard Mead | British geographer (1915-2014) | ||
| 1981 | Keith John Miller | mechanical engineer, explorer and mountaineer (1932-2006) | ||
| 1982 | Michael Ward | British surgeon and mountaineer (1925-2005) | For high-altitude medical research and leadership of the British Mount Kongur Expedition | |
| 1983 | Peter Scott | British ornithologist and conservationist (1909–1989) | ||
| 1984 | Ranulph Fiennes | British explorer (born 1944) | ||
| 1985 | David Attenborough | British broadcaster and naturalist (born 1926) | ||
| 1986 | Tim Severin | British explorer, historian, writer (1940-2020) | ||
| 1987 | Anthony Seymour Laughton | British oceanographer | ||
| 1988 | Peter Hall | town planner, urbanist and geographer (1932-2014) | ||
| 1989 | Monica Kristensen Solås | Norwegian explorer | ||
| 1990 | John Hemming | Canadian explorer | ||
| 1991 | Andrew Goudie | British geographer | ||
| 1992 | Alan Wilson | British mathematician and geographer | For contributions to the study of urban and regional systems. | |
| 1993 | Kenneth J. Gregory | British geographer (1938–2020) | For contributions to hydrology and geomorphology. | |
| 1994 | Ronald Urwick Cooke | British geographer | for contribution to geomorphology. | |
| 1995 | Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook | zoologist, environmental biologist and author (1933-), chairman of the Institute for European Environmental Policy | ||
| 1996 | John Woods | British oceanographer | for contributions to oceanography | |
| 1997 | Tony Wrigley | British historical demographer (1931-2022) | ||
| 1998 | Robert J. Bennett | economic geographer (1948-) | ||
| 1999 | Mike Kirkby | British geographer | For contributions to the development of processed-based and modelling approaches in geomorphology | |
| 2000 | Brian Robson | geographer at the University of Manchester | For contributions to urban geography and geographical perspectives to urban policy | |
| 2001 | William L. Graf | American geographer (1947-2019) | For contributions to research on dryland river processes, and the interactions of science and public policy | |
| 2002 | Bruno Messerli | Swiss geographer and university professor (1931-2019) | For contributions to mountain research and the public awareness of mountain issues | |
| 2003 | Michael Frank Goodchild | professor of geographic information science | For contributions to geographical information science | |
| 2004 | Leszek Starkel | Polish geographer | For advancing international understanding of palaeohydrology and geomorphology | |
| 2005 | Nicholas Shackleton | British geologist (1937-2006) | For research on Quaternary palaeoclimatology | |
| 2006 | Derek Gregory | British geographer | For international leadership of research in human geography and social theory | |
| 2007 | Roger G. Barry | British-born American climatologist and geographer (1935-2018) | For international leadership of research on climate and climate change | |
| 2008 | Julian A. Dowdeswell | British glaciologist | For the encouragement, development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2009 | Alan R. H. Baker | geographer at the University of Cambridge (1938-) | For contributions to historical geography | |
| 2010 | Diana Liverman | geographer and science writer | For encouraging, developing and promoting understanding of the human dimensions of climate change | |
| 2011 | David N. Livingstone | British academic | For the encouragement and promotion of historical geography | |
| 2012 | Charles W. J. Withers | Scottish linguist and geographer | For the encouragement and development of historical and cultural geography | |
| 2013 | Keith S. Richards | geographer at the University of Cambridge | For the encouragement and development of physical geography and fluvial geomorphology | |
| 2014 | Geoffrey Boulton | British geologist | For the development and promotion of glaciology | |
| 2015 | Michael Batty | British academic | For development and promotion of the geographical science of cities | |
| 2016 | Michael Storper | economic and urban geographer | For scholarship and leadership in human and economic geography | |
| 2017 | Gordon Conway | British ecologist | For the enhancement and promotion of agricultural development in Asia and Africa | |
| 2018 | Paul Rose | British explorer and TV presenter | For scientific expeditions and enhancing public understanding | |
| 2019 | Trevor J. Barnes | Canadian geographer | For sustained excellence and pioneering developments in the field of economic geography | |
| 2020 | Heather A. Viles | geographer | For her excellence in establishing the field of biogeomorphology | |
| 2021 | Andy Eavis | speleologist & mining engineer | For significant contribution in leading speleological expeditions, exploring and recording some of the largest caves in the world for over 50 years | |
| 2022 | David Hempleman-Adams | British industrialist and adventurer | For enabling science through expeditions, and inspiring younger generations of geographers | |
| 2023 | Andrew W. Mitchell | zoologist | For his lifetime’s contribution to protect tropical rainforests and combat climate change |
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