The medal is awarded by the IET not more frequently than once a year (either for notable scientific or industrial achievement in engineering or for conspicuous service rendered to the advancement of science, engineering and technology) without restriction as regards nationality, country of residence or membership of the Institution. Names and post-nominal letters appear below as recorded in the Roll of Honorary Fellows and Faraday Medallists, held in the IET Archives.
Previous recipients
| 2020 | Professor Bashir M Al-Hashimi CBE FREng FIET |
| 2019 | Professor Sir Peter Knight FRS |
| 2018 | no award |
| 2017 | Dr Bjarne Stroustrup |
| 2016 | Dr Andrew Harter FREng |
| 2015 | Professor Kees Schouhamer Immink FIEEE FAES FSMPTE |
| 2014 | Regius Professor Christofer Toumazou FRS FREng FMedSci |
| 2013 | Professor Sir Michael Pepper |
| 2012 | Dr Leonardo Chiariglione |
| 2011 | Professor Donald E Knuth |
| 2010 | Professor Donal Bradley CBE FRS |
| 2009 | Sir Martin Sweeting OBE FREng FRS |
| 2008 | Professor J Kittler FREng |
| 2007 | Professor S B Furber FRS FREng |
| 2006 | Professor J V McCanny CBE FREng FRS FIAE |
| 2005 | Mr Azim H Premji |
| 2004 | Professor P M Grant FREng FRSE BSc PhD |
| 2003 | Professor Richard H Friend FRS FREng |
| 2002 | Sir Robin K Saxby BEng |
| 2001 | Professor C J Harris FREng |
| 2000 | Professor Michael Brady FREng MSc PhD FRS FIEE |
| 1999 | Professor P A McKeown OBE DSc FEng FIEE |
| 1998 | Professor R M Needham FRS FEng |
| 1997 | Professor J E Midwinter OBE BSc PhD FRS FEng |
| 1996 | S C Miller CBE BSc FEng |
| 1995 | Professor J D Rhodes OBE PhD DEng FRS FEng |
| 1994 | Dr J Parnaby CBE BSc PhD DEng DSc FEng |
| 1993 | Professor A G J MacFarlane CBE FRS FEng FRSE |
| 1992 | L Solymar MA PhD |
| 1991 | Dr A W Rudge OBE FEng |
| 1990 | Professor P J Lawrenson DSc FRS FEng |
| 1989 | Professor Charles K Kao BSc(Eng) PhD |
| 1988 | C Hilsum BSc PhD FEng FIEE FRS |
| 1987 | Professor D E N Davies CBE DSc FEng FRS |
| 1986 | Professor E D R Shearman BSc(Eng) FEng |
| 1985 | Professor C A R Hoare MA HonDSc FRS |
| 1984 | Professor A L Cullen OBE DSc(Eng) FEng FRS |
| 1983 | Professor W A Gambling DSc PhD FEng |
| 1982 | Professor B D Josephson MA PhD FRS |
| 1981 | Professor M V Wilkes MA PhD FRS |
| 1980 | Professor E A Ash PhD DSc FRS |
| 1979 | Robert N Noyce |
| 1978 | E Friedlander DrIng |
| 1977 | J B Adams CMG MA HonDSc FRS |
| 1976 | T O Paine AB MS PhD |
| 1975 | Professor John M Meek CBE DEng DSc |
| 1974 | G Millington MA BSc |
| 1973 | Professor Sir Nevill Mott MA FRS |
| 1972 | Professor F C Williams CBE DSc DPhil CEng FRS |
| 1971 | Professor Sir Martin Ryle MA CEng FRS |
| 1970 | Professor C W Oatley OBE MA MSc CEng FRS |
| 1969 | Dr Phillip Sporn EE |
| 1968 | Leslie Herbert Bedford CBE MA BSc(Eng) |
| 1967 | Professor Harold Everard M Barlow PhD BSc(Eng) FRS |
| 1966 | J A Ratcliffe CB CBE MA FRS |
| 1965 | Vladimir K Zworykin EE PhD DSc |
| 1964 | Joseph Ronald Mortlock BSc(Eng) PhD |
| 1963 | Monsieur Pierre M J Ailleret Commander de la Legion d’Honneur |
| 1962 | Sir Basil Ferdinand Jamieson Schonland CBE MA PhD FRS |
| 1961 | Dr Julius A Stratton ScD DEng |
| 1960 | Sir George Paget Thomson DSc FRS |
| 1959 | Signor Luigi Emmannueli |
| 1958 | Sir Gordon Radley KCB CBE PhD(Eng) |
| 1957 | Dr Waldemar Borgquist |
| 1956 | Emeritus Professor George William O Howe DSc LLD |
| 1955 | Sir John Cockcroft KCB CBE MA MScTech PhD FRS |
| 1954 | Isaac Shoenberg |
| 1953 | Colonel Sir A Stanley Angwin KBE DSO MC TD BSc(Eng) |
| 1952 | Professor Ernest Orlando Lawrence AM PhD |
| 1951 | Thomas Lydwell Eckersley BA BSc PhD FRS |
| 1950 | Sir James Chadwick MSc PhD FRS |
| 1949 | Charles Samuel Franklin CBE |
| 1948 | Professor Marcus Lawrence Elwin Oliphant FRS |
| 1947 | Sir Leonard Pearce CBE DSc |
| 1946 | Sir Edward Victor Appleton GBE KCB MA DSc LLD FRS |
| 1945 | Sir Clifford Copland Paterson OBE DSc FRS |
| 1944 | Irving Langmuir LLD DSc PhD |
| 1943 | Sir Archibald Page |
| 1942 | Dr Peter Kapitza FRS |
| 1941 | Sir Arthur Percy M Fleming CBE DEng |
| 1940 | Alexander Russell MA DSc LLD FRS |
| 1939 | W D Coolidge BS PhD |
| 1938 | Sir John F C Snell GBE |
| 1937 | Professor Andre Blondel |
| 1936 | Sir William Henry Bragg OM KBE MA DSc FRS |
| 1935 | Frank Baldwin Jewett PhD |
| 1934 | Sir Frank E Smith GCB GBE DSc FRS |
| 1933 | no award |
| 1932 | Sir Oliver Lodge DSc FRS |
| 1931 | Charles H Merz DSc |
| 1930 | The Rt Hon Lord Rutherford of Nelson |
| 1929 | Guido Semenza |
| 1928 | Professor John Ambrose Fleming MA DSc FRS |
| 1927 | Elihu Thomson DSc |
| 1926 | Colonel Rookes Evelyn B Crompton CB FRS |
| 1925 | Sir Joseph John Thomson OM MA FRS |
| 1924 | Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti DSc FRS |
| 1923 | The Hon Sir Charles Algernon Parsons OM KCB FRS |
| 1922 | Oliver Heaviside FRS |