Established by the NAS Council in June 2017 by combining two awards: the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal and the Mary Clark Thompson Medal. The award rotates presentation between the Elliot Medal that recognizes meritorious work in zoology or paleontology published no earlier than the last presentation of the medal (2018), and the Thompson Medal that honors important services to geology and paleontology. Each medal is presented with a $20,000 prize.