Who delivers the lecture?

Established in 1998, the Lovelace Medal is awarded to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of computing.

In the past, winners of the Lovelace Medal were invited to deliver a Lovelace Lecture.

Previous winners include Marta Kwiatkowska, Steve Furber, Andrew Blake, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and Karen Spärck Jones.

As part of a review of our awards and prizes, we are refreshing our approach to celebrating the contributions of Lovelace Medal winners. Further information will be shared in due course.

2021 Lovelace Lecture

The lecture took place virtually on Tuesday 12 October 2021. The speakers were all winners of the BCS 2020 Lovelace medal:

  • Ian Horrocks - Professor of Computer Science, University of Oxford
  • Nicholas Jennings - Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Vice-Provost for Research and Enterprise, Imperial College London
  • Michael Wooldridge - Head of Department and Professor of Computer Science, University of Oxford, and Programme Director for AI at The Alan Turing Institute

Watch the 2021 lecture

Nominate someone for an award

Do you know someone who's advanced the field of computing?

Check out the criteria and how to nominate

About Ada Lovelace

Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852) was the daughter of the poet, Lord Byron, and an accomplished mathematician, scientist and writer.

Today she’s chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine.

Ada was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation and created the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she’s regarded by many as the first computer programmer.