Editing Royal Society of Arts (section)

==Prizes==
[[File:Vulcan medal from A History of the Royal Society of Arts Wellcome L0001877.jpg|thumb|Vulcan medal from the [[Royal Society of Arts]]]]
Originally modelled on the [[Royal Dublin Society|Dublin Society for improving Husbandry, Manufacturers and other Useful Arts]], the RSA, from its foundation, offered ''prizes'' through a Premium Award Scheme that continued for 100 years. Medals and, in some cases, money were awarded to individuals who achieved success in published challenges within the categories of Agriculture, Polite Arts,{{explain|date=October 2024}} Manufacture, Colonies and Trade, Chemistry and Mechanics. Successful submission included agricultural improvements in the cultivation of crops and reforestation, devising new forms of machinery, including an extendable ladder to aid firefighting that has remained in use relatively unchanged, and artistic skill, through submissions by young students, many of whom developed into famous artists such as [[Edwin Landseer]] who at the age of 10 was awarded a silver medal for his drawing of a dog.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

The RSA originally specifically precluded premiums for [[patent]]ed solutions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sitoc.biz/adelphicharter/pdfs/RSA_IP_Final.pdf |title=The RSA and Intellectual Property  |access-date=22 October 2012 |archive-date=20 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120184526/http://www.sitoc.biz/adelphicharter/pdfs/RSA_IP_Final.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Today the RSA continues to offer premiums.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thersa.org/action-research-centre/enterprise-and-design/enterprise/premiums|title=Premiums |website=RSA |access-date=6 June 2014|archive-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714100405/http://www.thersa.org/action-research-centre/enterprise-and-design/enterprise/premiums|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1823, [[Augustus Siebe]] won the Vulcan medal from the [[Royal Society of Arts]] for an improved screw threading tool.<ref name="gracesguide/Augustus-Siebe">{{cite web |title=Augustus Siebe |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Augustus_Siebe |website=www.gracesguide.co.uk - [[Graces Guide]] |access-date=17 December 2024}}</ref>

The RSA awards three medals – the [[Albert Medal (RSA)|Albert Medal]], the [[Benjamin Franklin Medal (Royal Society of Arts)|Benjamin Franklin Medal]],<ref>Following a decision by the RSA Board in 2013, the Benjamin Franklin Medal is now overseen by the RSA US, although the final nomination is ratified by the UK Board.</ref> and the [[Bicentenary Medal of the Royal Society of Arts|Bicentenary Medal]]. Medal winners have included [[Nelson Mandela]], Sir [[Frank Whittle]], and Professor [[Stephen Hawking]].

=== Royal Designers for Industry ===
In 1936, the RSA awarded the first distinctions of [[Royal Designers for Industry]] (RDI or HonRDI), reserved for "those very few who in the judgment of their peers have achieved 'sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for industry{{' "}}.

In 1937, "The Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry" was established as an association with the object of "furthering excellence in design and its application to industrial purposes": membership of the Faculty is automatic for (and exclusive to) all RDIs and HonRDIs. The Faculty currently has 120 Royal Designers (RDI) and 45 Honorary Royal Designers (non-British citizens who are awarded the accolade of HonRDI): the number of designers who may hold the distinction of RDI at any one time is strictly limited.

The Faculty consists of practitioners from fields as disparate as engineering, graphics, interaction, product, furniture, fashion, interiors, landscape, and urban design. Past and present members include [[Eric Gill]], [[Enid Marx]], Sir [[Frank Whittle]], Sir [[Jonathan Ive]], Dame [[Vivienne Westwood]], Sir [[James Dyson]], Sir [[Tim Berners-Lee]], [[Manolo Blahnik]], [[Naoto Fukasawa]], [[Rei Kawakubo]], [[Issey Miyake]], [[Dieter Rams]], [[Sergio Pininfarina]], [[Alvar Aalto]], [[Vico Magistretti]], [[Walter Gropius]], [[Charles Eames]], [[Richard Buckminster Fuller]], [[Saul Bass]], [[Raymond Loewy]], [[George Nelson (designer)|George Nelson]], [[Paul Rand]], [[Carlo Scarpa]], [[Vuokko Nurmesniemi]], [[Massimo Vignelli]], [[Yohji Yamamoto]], [[Peter Zumthor]], and more.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thersa.org/about/royal-designers-for-industry | title=Royal Designers for Industry }}</ref>