The Edinburgh Award
The Edinburgh Award was established in 2007 and is now a prestigious annual award to honour an outstanding individual who has made a positive impact on the city and gained national and international recognition for Edinburgh.
Criteria
You can nominate someone for the Edinburgh Award if they
- were born in Edinburgh, have lived in the city for the past 12 months or has a substantial association with Edinburgh
- have not previously been awarded The Freedom of the City
- are not a previous winner of The Edinburgh Award
- are not a serving politician.
The recipient is presented with an engraved Loving Cup at a ceremony hosted by the Lord Provost and has their hand prints reproduced on a flagstone in the City Chambers quadrangle.
Nominations open
Nominations for the Edinburgh Award 2025 are now open. Nominations close at 12 noon Friday 16 May.
Submit a nomination for the Edinburgh Award
The Edinburgh Award recipients
- 2024 Mel Young MBE
- 2023 Nicola Benedetti CBE
- 2022 Sir Geoff Palmer
- 2021 Fergus Linehan
- 2020 Alexander McCall Smith
- 2019 Ann Budge
- 2018 Doddie Weir
- 2017 Sir Timothy O'Shea
- 2016 Ken Buchanan MBE
- 2015 Sir Tom Farmer
- 2014 Thomas Gilzean
- 2013 Richard Demarco
- 2012 Dame Elizabeth Blackadder
- 2011 Professor Peter Higgs
- 2010 George Kerr CBE
- 2009 Sir Chris Hoy MBE
- 2008 JK Rowling OBE
- 2007 Ian Rankin OBE