The Fernand Holweck Medal and Prize is a major European prize for Physics awarded jointly every year by the British Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Société Française de Physique (SFP).[1][2][3] It is one of the four Grand Prix of the SFP and one of the four International Bilateral Awards of the IOP, consisting of a gold medal and a 3000€ cash prize.
The prize was established in 1945 as a memorial to Fernand Holweck and other French physicists who were persecuted or killed by the Nazis during the German occupation of France during World War II, from 1940 to 1945.[1] It was originally a £150 prize.[4] It is awarded for distinguished work in experimental physics (which reflects Holweck's scientific interest) or in theoretical physics which is closely related to experimentation.[5][3][6]
The Holweck Prize is awarded every year, alternately to a French physicist and a British or Irish physicist. In 1974 two awards were made to mark the centenaries of the two societies.[1] Holweck Laureates include several Nobel Prize winners.[1] The award received increased media attention in 2014 when it was awarded to Iranian physicist Ramin Golestanian.[7]
