Kurt Koffka Medal

The Kurt-Koffka medal, Kurt Koffka Medal, or Kurt Koffka award is an annual, international award bestowed by Giessen University's Department of Psychology. The prize commemorates the German psychologist Kurt Koffka, a pioneer of Gestalt Psychology, in particular in the fields of perception and developmental psychology. Koffka worked at Giessen University for 16 years, from 1911 to 1927. The medal was first awarded in 2007; it is awarded annually.

The medal is notable among psychologists.

History

Kurt Koffka (March 18, 1886 – November 22, 1941) was a German psychologist. He was born and educated in Berlin. Along with Max Wertheimer and his close associates Wolfgang Köhler they established Gestalt psychology. Koffka's interests were wide-ranging, and they included: perception, hearing impairments in brain-damaged patients, interpretation, learning, and the extension of Gestalt theory to developmental psychology.

A committee of Giessen University Department of Psychology seeks nominations each year since 2006 and decides on the recipient(s) of the award each year. The first medal was awarded in 2007 to Martin "Marty" Banks.

Nominations
Nomination forms are sent by the members of the Committee to large numbers of individuals, usually in September the year before the award is made. These individuals are generally prominent academics working in a relevant area.

Selection
The members of the Committee prepare a report reflecting the advice of experts in the relevant fields.

Posthumous nominations
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Award ceremonies
The most recent ceremony was for Karen Adolph, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at New York University, in 2018.

Medal Banquet

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Gender balance of recipients 
Unlike with some science awards, such as the Nobel prize, the gender balance of recipients of the Kurt-Koffka medal, as of 2018, is very good with eight men and seven women.

See also

 Nobel prize
 Fields Medal
 Ig Nobel Prize
 List of prizes known as the Nobel of a field
 Lists of science and technology awards
 List of psychology awards

References 

Category:Academic awards
Category:International awards
Category:Science and technology awards
Category:German science and technology awards
Category:University of Giessen
Category:Perception
Category:Psychology