The Sir Misha Black Awards commemorate the life of Misha Black, whose work played an important role in the development of design in Britain. They are given to individuals and institutions to honor them in their role within design education.^[1]

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The Sir Misha Black Awards
Sir Misha Black Medal

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There are two awards – the Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education, which is awarded to design educators working around the world, and the Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education, which is given to UK-based educational institutions, organizations or individuals.

The awards were established in 1978 by six founding bodies: the Design and Industries Association, the Imperial College, the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) at the RSA, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the College of Medallists and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. These are the only awards in the world to recognize design education.

The Sir Misha Black Medal, first awarded in 1978, was created to honor individuals across the globe who have made a significant contribution to design education throughout their career. The Sir Misha Black Medal is awarded collaboratively by Britain’s leading design organizations. Recipients of The Sir Misha Black Medal are automatically enrolled in the College of Medallists.

The Sir Misha Black Award for Innovation in Design Education, first awarded in 2001, was created to honor the exceptional work of a teacher, team, department, or course within educational establishments in the UK for innovation in design education. The award exists to acknowledge the collective excellence and leadership in design education within the United Kingdom.

The current awards committee as of 2023 includes:

• Mary V. Mullin (Chairman) – The Design and Industries Association
• Professor Peter Childs FREng, FIMechE, FASME - The Imperial College of London
• Professor P. John Clarkson FREng - The Royal Academy of Engineering
• Professor Malcolm Garrett MBE, RDI, FISTD - The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry
• Professor Geoffery Kirk RDI, FREng - The Royal Academy of Engineering
• Professor Chris Wise RDI, FREng - Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
• Dr Nick de Leon – Co-Opted Member