The Award
The Lucien Rudaux Memorial Award was created by the trustees of the International Association of Astronomical Artists in 2000 to recognize any individual for their significant contribution to the field of astronomical art and the advancement of the genre. The award may be presented posthumously or to artists and persons still living.
The award is not limited to IAAA members or artists; it also recognizes collectors, editors, curators, art directors, writers, and others who may have made a significant contribution to the development, dissemination, or appreciation of space art.
Lucien Rudaux
The award is named for one of the first great space artists, Lucien Rudaux, (1874 - 1947). He was a French artist and astronomer who created paintings of space themes in the 1920s and 1930s.
He is the author of popular books on astronomy, including What We See in the Sky, Astronomy - Practical Concepts (Ce qu'on voit dans le ciel, notions pratiques d'astronomie, 1915); Astronomy Based on Observations (Manuel pratique d'astronomie, 1925); Other Worlds (Sur les autres Mondes, 1937); The Moon and Its History (La Lune et son histoire, 1946).
Award Winners
2023 Marilynn Flynn, IAAA
2022 Douglas M. Stewart, Writer, Film Production, Manager, and Producer of the 2018 film, Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future
2020 James Dean, landscape artist and Founding Director of the NASA Art Program
2018 Pamela Lee, IAAA
2016 Alan Bean, Apollo 12 Astronaut, the fourth person to walk on the Moon and Space Artist
2012 Rick Sternbach, IAAA
2007 Ralph A. Smith, British Interplanetary Society and Space Artist
2006 Michael Carroll, IAAA
2004 Don Davis, IAAA; Kim Poor, IAAA, Novaspace
2003 Ron Miller, IAAA; Alexei Leonov, Soviet Commander of the Apollo-Soyuz Project and Space Artist
2002 Dr. William (Bill) Hartmann, IAAA; Andre Sokolov, Dean of the Cosmic Group Soviet Space Artists
2001 David A. Hardy, IAAA
2000 The first winners, awarded with the creation of the prize, were Lucien Rudaux himself, Chesley Bonestell, and Ludek Pesek. In addition, the trustees added living legends Jack Coggins, Fredrick C. Durant III, and Robert McCall.
Lucien Rudaux Award certificate
Lucien Rudaux in his observatory at Donville-les-Bains, France, 1903
Jon Ramer presenting artist Pamela Lee with the Lucien Rudaux Award, 2018
"On Other Worlds" by Lucien Rudaux, 1920
"Dangers of Space" by Lucien Rudaux, 1930