The IMPC Medal, known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognises a lifetime of distinguished achievement and outstanding contribution to the advancement of the art, science and industrial practice of mineral processing together with participation in and contribution to the IMPC. The procedures for nominating persons for the award are clearly explained in the IMPC Constitution. The first such award was made in San Francisco at the time of the XIX IMPC. The recipients to date have been:
  1995   San Fransisco Professor Douglas Fuerstenau  
  1997   Aachen Professor Dr Klaus Schoenert  
  2000   Rome Professor Jean Maurice Cases  
  2003   Cape Town Professor Peter King  
  2006   Istanbul Professor Heinrich Schubert  
extract from IMPC Constitution on Lifetime Achievement Award
Composition
 
The Chairman of this Committee will be appointed by the Council for a period usually of two consecutive Congresses. The Committee includes the President of the forthcoming Congress and the past three Presidents. Previous recipients of the Medal may be consulted by the Chairman for an opinion on the candidates nominated
Duties & Responsibilities:
 
The IMPC Medal recognises a lifetime of distinguished achievement and outstanding contribution to the advancement of the art, science and industrial practice of mineral processing together with participation in and contribution to the IMPC.
This Committee will choose the Medal recipient and the Medal is presented at the following Congress together with a Citation.
The Committee reserves the right to not award the Medal.
The Medal will not be awarded posthumously
Voting Procedures:
 
Only Council Members or Members of the International Advisory Committee may nominate candidates for the Medal. Three other persons, who may or may not be Members but who are distinguished in the field of mineral processing and are not from the same national organisation as the candidate must support each candidates nomination.
No Member may nominate more than one candidate. Nominations are to be forwarded to the Chairman of the Committee. A nominating Member must obtain the approval of the candidate prior to their nomination and must include the following: a full CV of the candidate; the names and contact details of the other three supporters; a statement highlighting the lifetime achievement and global impact of the candidate.
Voting will be by a simple majority of those present and eligible to vote . The Chairman of the Committee will have a casting vote but only when there can be no apparent conflict of interest in his exercise of the casting vote. Unsuccessful nominees shall have their nomination carried forward for two subsequent Congresses.
Meeting Frequency
This Committee will meet at least once before each Congress or more if required to determine a Medal winner .