The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have announced that architect Simon Beeson and medal maker Nicola Moss are the winners of its ‘Research Medal Design Competition’.

Their ‘Earth and Sky’ submission caught the judging panel’s eye and Simon and Nicola are now going to produce the medal in conjunction with a casting company, ahead of presenting it to the President’s Award for Research winner.

The awards ceremony will take place on December 2 this year at 66 Portland Place, with the winner being announced on November 13.

Jane Duncan, Chair of the Judging Panel and RIBA President, said that Simon and Nicola produced an exceptional medal design that reflects its strong traditions.

She added that their combination of medallist, academic and architect made for a stunning submission, before thanking all six shortlisted entries for their incredibly high standard of entries.

The judging panel was also made up of Charles Hind (RIBA Chief Curator), Philip Attwood (Keeper of Coins and Medals at the British Museum) and Stephen Hodder (RIBA Immediate Past President).

Winners Simon and Nicola commented that they were thrilled at being chosen as the best design and that they are relishing the challenge of collaborating as architect and artist to produce their contemporary medal.

Simon Beeson is an architect, sculptor and public artist who also works at Arts University Bournemouth (Principal Lecturer & BA (Hons) Course Leader for Architecture).

Among his best known work is his 1997 design of the ‘Simmons Gallery for coins and medals’ in London’s Lambs Conduit Street.

Nicola Moss is a well-established medal maker who has worked for the British Art Medal Society.

Her work can be seen in collections all around the world, among which are the British Museum (Department of Coins and Medals), Smithsonian Institute, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the National Museum of Scotland.