The Royal Aeronautical Society has been honouring outstanding achievers in the global aerospace industry since 1909 when Wilbur and Orville Wright came to London to receive the Society’s first Gold Medal. In the years that have followed, honouring world aerospace achievers has become a permanent tradition of the Society. Included among these awards are the written paper prizes.

The Royal Aeronautical Society Written Paper Prizes are awarded annually for the best papers published in The Aeronautical Journal by the Society during the previous calendar year. Awards can be conferred at Gold, Silver or Bronze level. A new prize for the best paper to appear in the Journal of Aeronautical History has recently been added. The Written Paper Prizes are presented following the approval of the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society on the basis of recommendations from the RAeS Medals & Awards Committee, supported by the Editor-in-Chief of The Aeronautical Journal. The Society recognises the achievements, innovation and excellence of both individual and multiple authors.