The Edinburgh Award
Nominations for the Edinburgh Award 2026 are now open. Nominations will close at noon on Friday 10 April 2026.
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.
Nominate someone for an Edinburgh Award
The Edinburgh Award recipients
- 2025 Ali Bowden
- 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