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