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.
The medal is notable among psychologists.

History

Kurt Koffka 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 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.

Prizewinners

Source:
Unlike some science awards, such as the Nobel prize, the Kurt-Koffka medal has a good gender balance of recipients.