Sir Arthur C Clarke

Arthur C Clarke:
Awards and Honours

“ 

To be a science fiction writer you must be interested in the future and you must feel that the future will be different and hopefully better than the present. Although I know that many science fiction writings have been anti-utopias — 1984, as an example. And the reason for that is that it’s much easier and more exciting to write about a really nasty future than a placid, peaceful one. ”

– Arthur C Clarke

During his lifetime, Sir Arthur C Clarke received numerous awards and honours from governments, universities, professional bodies and other entities around the world. Only selected honours are given here. For the full list, see Arthur C Clarke Bio Note in Resources section.

Knight (Queen’s New Year’s Honours List, 1998)

CBE (Queen’s Birthday Honours List, 1989)

Honorary degrees

D. Sc., Beaver College, Pennsylvania, USA (1971)

D. Sc., University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (1979)

D. Lit, University of Bath, UK (1988)

Lit., University of Liverpool, UK (1995)

D. Lit., Baptist University of Hong Kong (1996)

D. Sc., International Space University, France (2005)

“ 

To be a science fiction writer you must be interested in the future and you must feel that the future will be different and hopefully better than the present. Although I know that many science fiction writings have been anti-utopias — 1984, as an example. And the reason for that is that it’s much easier and more exciting to write about a really nasty future than a placid, peaceful one. ”

– Arthur C Clarke

Key awards, fellowships and honours

British Interplanetary Society, Hon. Fellow

World Academy of Art & Science, Academician

International Academy of Astronautics, Hon. Fellow 1960

Franklin Inst. Stuart Ballantine Gold Medal 1963

Franklin Institute, Fellow 1971

King’s College, London, Fellow 1977

Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Engineering Award, 1981

Fellow, Institute of Robotics, Carnegie-Mellon, 1981

Marconi International Fellowship, 1982

Charles A Lindbergh Award, 1987

Special Achievement Award, Space Explorers Assn., Riyadh 1989

Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Award, National Space Society, 1990

Nobel Peace Prize Nomination, 1994

NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, 1995

Von Karman Award, Intl Acad of Astronautics (Beijing, 1996)

D. Sc., International Space University, France (2005)

Robert A Heinlein Award, 2004

Vidya Jyothi (‘Luminary of Science’) award from President of Sri Lanka, 1986

Sri Lankabhimanya (‘Pride of Sri Lanka’), highest civilian honour from President of Sri Lanka, 2005

Receiving the Charles A Lindbergh award in Paris, 1987

With the Sri Lankabhimanya award, 2005