Top honors theses are recognized annually by the following awards:
Golden Medal
The Robert M. Golden Medal for Excellence in the Humanities and the Creative Arts is awarded to the top ten percent of all honors theses in the humanities, as well as to designated senior projects or performance in the arts.
Firestone Medal
The Firestone Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Research recognizes the top ten percent of all honors theses in social science, science and engineering.
Kennedy Thesis Prize
Kennedy Thesis Prizes are awarded to the top Firestone/Golden medalist from each of the following areas of study: humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering and applied sciences.
The Nomination Process
All nominations for Golden, Firestone, and Kennedy thesis awards must be made by the department or honors program, so individual faculty who wish to nominate students should contact the major department or the honors program. An official announcement is sent to departments and programs in late March, with detailed nomination instructions following in late April, and nominations are due to VPUE in late May. These communications come from the VPUE Medals email account.
The 2016 deadline for all nominations and supporting documents is 3 p.m. on Monday, May 23, 2016 (please note that Memorial Day is closer to Commencement than usual, so in contrast to previous years, this is the Monday before Memorial Day).
Departments and faculty are very welcome to contact vpue-medals@stanford.edu at any point with questions about the nomination and award process. The basic criteria are that the thesis should stand out as exceptional in five areas: originality, rigorous deployment of research method, value of research to the field, quality of argument, and quality of presentation according to standards of the field. All students who submit their final honors thesis between Summer 2015 and Spring 2016 are eligible to be nominated by the department or honors program, regardless of their official date of graduation.
Students with questions should contact their honors program, as each program sets their own process for how to determine the top theses in that department. Deadlines and eligibility will vary by department.
Medals Ceremony
The Golden, Firestone, and Kennedy awards are presented at the annual Undergraduate Medals Ceremony, held midday on the Saturday of Commencement Weekend. The Medals Ceremony offers a place for families and thesis advisors to meet and mingle as their student is honored.
This year's event will take place on Saturday, June 11, 2016. It is generally around the middle of the day. Information will be sent directly to recipients and their thesis advisors closer to the event.
If you have questions about the Golden, Firestone, and Kennedy Awards or the Medals Ceremony that are not answered here, please email vpue-medals@stanford.edu.
The Award for Excellence in Honors Thesis Presentation
The Award for Excellence in Honors Thesis Presentation is granted by departments and programs to students whose honors presentation exemplifies the highest standards. It is coordinated by the Oral Communication Program and is separate from the thesis medals process. For more information, please contact Doree Allen, Ph.D., Oral Communication Program Director, doree.allen@stanford.edu, (650) 725-4149.
