Women Inventors Awarded a WIPO Medal or Other Distinction

In 1979, WIPO introduced the WIPO Award for Inventors, in recognition of their talents and contributions and to promote inventive activities, in particular, in developing countries.

The WIPO Award for Inventors is made available, in most cases, on request by national, regional or international institutions, either on a regular or on an ad hoc basis. WIPO does not itself organize contests, neither does it select the persons to whom the WIPO Medals are awarded. It leaves the selection of the winners to the organizers of the exhibition or competition, or to the institution that has requested the medal.

Since 1979 until August 2009, WIPO Medals and other distinctions have been awarded to more than 1200 inventors, from 118 countries.  About twenty per cent of those inventors are women.

The compilation that can be accessed through the links below highlights information about these women inventors and their achievements (142 from 50 countries), in alphabetical order of the countries of which they are nationals, indicating briefly such particulars as their date of birth, the category, title and occasion of the award, as well as the date and place of the award, the title and a short description of the invention, and any other pertinent data.

The compilation has been prepared by the Secretariat, on the basis of information available to date at WIPO, and cannot be considered exhaustive.

Most important to note, however, is that this compilation does not contain merely information about women inventors who have been awarded a WIPO Medal or other distinction. It is foremost a tribute to these women: to their creativity and commitment and to their contributions to the betterment of mankind. May they serve as a role model for future generations.