Past winners of the prestigious J&E Hall Gold Medal have included individuals like Dr Mark McLinden of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the USA, who helped provide the industry with tools to identify new, environmentally-friendly refrigerants. Another winner was Ian Tansley of SureChill UK, an innovator who has designed aa refrigerator for vaccines that can provide reliable cooling in areas with erratic power supplies.

Nominations are now open to recognised the next greatest industry innovator, an individual or team considered to have made the most noteworthy contribution to the advancement of refrigeration and related technologies this year.

The £5,000 award and Gold Medal will be presented at the IOR Annual Dinner on 27 February 2020 by J&E Hall International on behalf of the Institute. The winner will also be invited to present a paper on their work to members the following year.

The deadline for names to be put forward is 5 November, so some achievements to consider for nomination may include: practical applications of innovative designs, projects which have made an original contribution to the field, systems which demonstrate substantial potential and evidence that they will be completed successfully or outstanding and significant work in a new or unusual area.