President’s Medal awarded to novelist Elif Shafak, as the British Academy re-opens its doors after £10m revamp

The British Academy has awarded its prestigious President’s Medal to the novelist Elif Shafak, as it prepares to re-open its historic home to the public this weekend following a transformational, two-year £10million redevelopment.

A champion of the humanities and social sciences

The President’s Medal is the Academy’s most prestigious honour in its suite of prizes and medals. Each year the winner is personally selected by the Academy’s President for their work to publicly champion the humanities and social sciences by harnessing academic research to reach and engage mainstream audiences.

In 2024, the Medal is awarded to the award-winning British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak, for her excellent body of work which demonstrates an incredible intercultural range. Her storytelling bravely tackles sensitive topics such as conflict, gender equality, human rights, ecology and the environmental crisis, with scholarly rigour and intellectual force.

Shafak has published 20 books, 13 of which are novels, and her books have been translated into 57 languages. She holds a PhD in political science, and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She also holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bard College. Shafak is a Fellow and a Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature and has been chosen among BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women.

Previous President’s Medal winners include historian Professor David Olusoga, primatologist Jane Goodall, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and, last year, The Rest Is History podcast.

On receiving the medal, Elif Shafak said: “I am truly delighted and deeply honoured to receive the British Academy’s President’s Medal. As a storyteller and a novelist, I am not only interested in stories past and present, but also in silences. Literature is a natural bridge-builder; it connects hearts and minds, cultures and continents. I am interested in novels of ideas that draw upon multiple disciplines of learning and thinking. I am equally interested in bringing together written and oral cultures. Fiction opens up a much needed and nuanced space for even the most sensitive and complex issues of our times. It encourages empathy, connectivity and understanding, especially in these fractured times. I am very grateful to the British Academy for this recognition.”

Professor Julia Black, President of the British Academy, said: “Elif’s fiction has an intellectual force, and her impressive list of writing, speaking and academic achievements have promoted greater awareness of historical and contemporary injustices.  Her work demonstrates how valuable the humanities are in giving us the ability to gain and express insights into people, societies, cultures across time and place.  It brings me great joy to award this year’s President’s Medal to her as we welcome people back into our newly transformed home, where we will be connecting a curious public with the very best of our subjects as never before in our history.”

An Academy transformed

The announcement comes as the Academy prepares to re-open its doors to the public following a two-year, £10million redevelopment.

Architects Wright & Wright led the complete remodel of the lower floors of the Academy’s historic London headquarters: a Grade-1 listed townhouse located a stone’s throw from The Mall and The Royal Society, its sister academy for science. A cramped warren of unused rooms, former office spaces and corridors is transformed into three interconnected, double-height, light-drenched, flexible-use event spaces, equipped with hybrid AV technology.

Accessibility has been at the heart of the redesign, with a remodelled entrance area, new lifts, cloakrooms and washrooms with increased capacity, level access, wide doorways and hearing loops throughout the building, as well as a new Quiet Room, which can be used for prayer, breastfeeding and offers a low-stimuli and calming space for visitors with additional needs.

The project has been funded through philanthropic donations and the generous support of major donors, including the Wolfson Foundation, the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

A destination for curious minds

The result increases the Academy’s public event capacity by almost 50 per cent, radically enhancing its ability to engage with its global community of scholars, researchers and curious minds everywhere. Aspirations to become a public home for the humanities and social sciences will be realised through a reimagined seasonal programme of free public events, starting this Sunday 15 September with sold-out Open House tours. Themes for 2025 include The Age of Mistrust? and Folklore Reimagined – with full line-ups and future seasons to be announced.

The building will also play host to an enhanced programme of events for the Academy’s Fellows, funded researchers, Early Career Researcher Network and policy programmes. In 2025, the Academy will host its inaugural SHAPE Conference, to unite the higher education and research sector around the value and impact of the arts, humanities and social sciences harnessing evidence and insights from its SHAPE Observatory. Future conference themes will include policy histories, and global order and disorder.

Professor Rana Mitter, Vice-President for Public Engagement at the British Academy, said: “More than twelve decades ago, the British Academy was established with a mission to champion the humanities and social sciences. Our belief that our subjects can change our world for the better remains steadfast today, and through our wonderful new building we can now forge deeper connections with all those who are interested in what the humanities and social sciences have to offer – mobilising the ocean of expertise, ideas and insights that we are privileged to be custodians to. This opening up is at the heart of the Academy’s ambitions over the coming years, and I’m really looking forward to seeing our home energized by people exchanging ideas and knowledge.”

Stephen Smith, Partner at Wright & Wright, said: “Working with the British Academy on the re-imagination and enhancement of their headquarters has been a journey of discovery, creativity and collaboration. We found the brief as rich and inspiring as they come – to create a forum for public convening and international exchange, fit for the digital age. We have sought to uncover lost layers of architectural language while discreetly and respectfully inserting some of our own, adding to the many chapters of architectural legacies that have been recorded over the centuries at Carlton House Terrace.

“We are confident that the Academy will be on a sure footing for the next episode in the organisation’s impressive trajectory and look forward to the incredible work and research that will incubate in the building and beyond. The new spaces are inherently more adaptable and resilient to future changes, and we hope they continue to inspire the Academy and all who engage with its mission.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

For interviews and images, please contact Ash Khan, Deputy Head of Media and PR at the British Academy: [email protected] or Jasmine Watkiss, Media and PR Manager: [email protected].

1. The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for the benefit of everyone.
   www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk @BritishAcademy_
2. Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and storyteller. She has published 20 books, 13 of which are novels and her books have been translated into 57 languages. The Island of Missing Trees was a finalist for the Costa Award, British Book Awards, RSL Ondaatje Prize and Women’s Prize for Fiction and was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and RSL Ondaatje Prize; and was Blackwell’s Book of the Year. The Forty Rules of Love was chosen by BBC among the 100 Novels that Shaped Our World. The Architect’s Apprentice was chosen for The Queen’s Reading Room. Shafak holds a PhD in political science, and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She also holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bard College. Shafak is a Fellow and a Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature and has been chosen among BBC’s 100 most inspiring and influential women. An advocate for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of expression, Shafak is an inspiring public speaker and twice TED Global speaker. She contributes to major publications around the world, and she was awarded the medal of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2017 she was chosen by Politico as one of the twelve people “who will give you a much-needed lift of the heart”. She has judged numerous literary prizes, including The PEN Nabokov Prize and has chaired the Wellcome Prize. Shafak was awarded the Halldór Laxness International Literature Prize for her contribution to 'the renewal of the art of storytelling’. Her website can be found at www.elifshafak.com and her Substack is called "Unmapped Storylands".
3. Wright & Wright Architects, founded by Sandy and Clare Wright in 1994, is a London-based architecture practice with a reputation for producing elegant, functional and timeless architecture. Clients include many high-profile organisations in the culture and education sectors. Combining modern design methods with a deep-rooted knowledge of traditional construction principles, the practice creates buildings that stand the test of time.  Experienced in imaginatively revitalising historic structures for contemporary use, Wright & Wright specialises in programmes that bring old and new elements together without compromising their distinct character.

• www.wrightandwright.co.uk
• Instagram: @wright_and_wright
• X: @WW_Architects
• LinkedIn: Wright & Wright Architects

1. A list of all donors who contributed to the building transformation can be found here: Opening Up The British Academy - Our Supporters | The British Academy