Sir Misha Black Awards

The Sir Misha Black Awards
Sir Misha Black Medal

The Sir Misha Black Awards, established in 1978,[1] is a British award for design education, in memory of Misha Black. Two annual awards are conferred:

  • The Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education,[2] awarded to individual design educators worldwide.
  • The Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education,[3] granted to UK-based educational institutions, organisations, or individuals.

The awards were set up in 1977 by six bodies: the Design and Industries Association, Imperial College London, the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry (R.D.I.) at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), the Royal Academy of Engineering, the College of Medallists, and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.[4]

Since 2020, the Sir Misha Black Awards has been included in the Royal Commission's portfolio, as part of the commission's aim to "increase the means of industrial education and extend the influence of science and art upon productive industry."[5]

The Sir Misha Black Medal

First awarded in 1978, the Sir Misha Black Medal recognises individuals worldwide who have made outstanding and lasting contributions to design education. The medal is conferred by a committee representing leading British design organisations, and each recipient is admitted to the College of Medallists.[5][6]

The Sir Misha Black Award

First presented in 1999, the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education recognises teachers, teams, departments, or courses within United Kingdom–based educational institutions that have demonstrated significant innovation in design education. The award specifically honours contributions that advance and transform the practice of design education in the UK.[5]

Sir Misha Black Awards Committee

The Sir Misha Black Awards Committee is composed of representatives from the founding bodies:

Members include Malcolm Garrett (chairman) – RSA Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry,[7] and Chris Wise, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.

Recipients of the Sir Misha Black Medal

Year[8] Name Country
1978 Sir William Coldstream UK
1980 Serge Ivan Chermayeff USA
1982 Max Bill Switzerland
1985 Ashoke Chatterjee India
1986 Frank Height UK
1988 Peter Reyner Banham UK
1991 David Pye UK
1993 Dr. Marianne Straub RDI Switzerland
1993 Arthur Pulos USA
1995 Kenji Ekuan Japan
1997 Dr. Alexander Moulton RDI UK
1998 William Walsh Ireland
1999 Ettore Sottsass Italy
2000 Robert Goodden UK
2001 Yuri Soloviev Russia
2002 Dr Santiago Calatrava Spain
2003 Sir Christopher Frayling UK
2004 David Hamilton (Honorary) UK
2004 Elaine Ostroff USA
2005 Prof. David Kelley USA
2006 Prof. Geoffrey Kirk RDI UK
2007 Alison Chitty RDI UK
2008 Prof. Gonzalo Tassier Mexico
2009 Judy Frater India/USA
2011 Prof. Kumar Vyas India
2012 Prof. Ezio Manzini Italy
2013 Prof. Santiago Aránguiz Sánchez Chile
2014 Prof. Michael Twyman UK
2015 Ravi Naidoo South Africa
2016 Margaret Calvert OBE RDI UK
2018 Prof. P John Clarkson UK
2020 Prof. Birgit Mager Germany
2021 Prof. Don Norman USA
2022 Prof. Elizabeth Tunstall Canada
2023 Prof. Marie Redmond Ireland
2024 Mary V Mullin (Honorary) Ireland
2024 Dr. Patricia Moore USA
2025 Lady Helen Hamlyn CBE UK
2025 Prof. William Ion Uk

Recipients of The Sir Misha Black Award

Year[9] Name
1999 Professor Norman McNally
2001 Prof. Roger Coleman and Dr Paul Ewing – Royal College of Art / Imperial College, London
2002 Prof. Ken Wallace – Cambridge University
2003 Prof. Adrian Forty
2004 Jane McCann – University of Derby
2006 Design Against Crime Research Centre – Central St Martins School of Art
2007 Department of Industrial Design – Coventry University School of Art & Design
2009 Prof. Anthony Dunne – Royal College of Art
2011 Creative Research into Sound Arts Practice (CRiSAP) – London College of Communication
2012 Manchester School of Art – Manchester Metropolitan University
2014 National Art&Design Saturday Club – The Sorrell Foundation
2015 Prof. Rachel Cooper OBE - Lancaster University
2016 Prof. Catherine McDermott
2016 Arts University Bournemouth
2018 University of Brighton Design Archives
2020 FixEd – Dee Halligan & Prof. Daniel Charny
2020 Oliver Broadbent
2022 Judah Armani
2023 Haleh Moravej – MetMUnch
2024 Zowie Broach
2025 Victoria Thornton OBE

References

  1. ^ "About Sir Misha Black and the Awards | Misha Black Awards". www.mishablackawards.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
  2. ^ "The Sir Misha Black Medal | Misha Black Awards". www.mishablackawards.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
  3. ^ "The Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education | Misha Black Awards". www.mishablackawards.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
  4. ^ Commission, Royal. "Sir Misha Black Awards". royalcommission1851.org. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  5. ^ a b c Commission, Royal. "Sir Misha Black Awards". royalcommission1851.org. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  6. ^ "Ben Uri Research Unit". www.buru.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  7. ^ "Home | Malcolm Garrett". www.malcolmgarrett.com. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  8. ^ Commission, Royal. "Royal Commission for the Exhibition 1851". royalcommission1851.org. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  9. ^ Commission, Royal. "Royal Commission for the Exhibition 1851". royalcommission1851.org. Retrieved 2025-09-29.