About
The Phillip Law Medal has been established by the ANARE Club Inc to celebrate the life and achievements of Dr Phillip Garth Law, the Club’s founder and patron. The Medal was first awarded in 2011. Dr Law was founding Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, a position in which he served from 1949 until 1966. He was a major influence in Antarctic affairs as a leader, explorer and administrator. These pages describe the procedures associated with awarding the Phillip Law Medal.
The Medal is awarded annually and the winner’s name is announced at Midwinter. The location and timing of the actual presentation will vary from year to year and details will be announced on this website when they become available.

Criteria For the Award of the Phillip Law Medal
The medal is to be awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Antarctic Affairs and the Antarctic community. This may include, but is not restricted to contribution in the areas of science, technology, leadership, administration, environmental management, the promotion of tourism, or the raising of public awareness
Candidates may be nominated by other individuals, groups or organisations using the provided proforma. Candidates may not self-nominate.
Under no circumstances should the candidate be made aware that he or she is being nominated for the award.
Completed nomination forms, supported by relevant biographical information and the names of referees, must be received by the ANARE Club Secretary by the due date.
The recipient must be an Australian citizen
The Medal may not be awarded posthumously.
The selection of of the Phillip Law Medal recipient is solely at the discretion of the ANARE Club.
The Medal cannot be awarded to the same person for a second or subsequent occasion.
The Club reserves the right to not award the Medal if no suitably qualified candidate is nominated.
The ANARE Club’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Selection Procedure
Nominations are called for from members of the ANARE Club, other individuals and relevant organisations. Information will be posted on this website and included in Aurora.
The completed nomination forms are received by the secretary of the ANARE Club by the designated due date,
Each year, the National Council of the ANARE Club will establish a committee of five persons to examine the applications of candidates submitted for the Phillip Law Medal.
One of the committee members will be nominated Chairperson, responsible for coordinating the selection process in a timely manner. The Chairperson should be a member of the ANARE Club National Council.
The Chairperson will establish that each member of the committee is aware of the criteria for medal selection.
The nomination forms are distributed to the members of the panel for individual assessment.
The selection committee may be convened to further discuss the nominees, should such a meeting be requested by any panel member.
The Committee may undertake further research into the candidates and may contact other persons familiar with the candidates’ work. Should the Committee decide there is insufficient supporting evidence, it may return the nomination to the proposer(s) requesting additional material.
Committee members provide their rankings to the Chair of the panel. The Medal will be awarded to the nominee who scores best on the collective rankings.
The decision of the selection panel is conveyed to the President of the ANARE Club for approval by National Council.
The Council and Committee will maintain confidentiality of all nominations.
The National Council will determine the appropriate time and venue for the announcement and presentation of the Medal. Only the name of the Medal recipient will be released at the time of the announcement.
Financial assistance may be offered to enable the Medal recipient to attend the ceremony. The amount will be determined by the National Council.


Design of the Medal
The Medal has been made by Millers who are well known for their finely detailed, custom made medals and coins.
Ray McMahon, David Ellyard and Ralph Fletcher did the bulk of the initial design, with final tweaking by the 2010/2011 National Council members.
The Medal is 51mm in diameter and has a raised outer rim. It is 5mm thick.
The obverse depicts a bas relief of the head of Dr Law, as drawn by Roy Hodginson in 1962. This drawing is shown on the outer rear page of Aurora Vol 11 No. 4 June 1992.
The reverse has a raised pad for the engraving of the recipient’s name; there is a similar raised pad on which the year of the award is engraved.
The wording on the medal was decided by the ANARE Club National Council.










