Elliott Cresson Medal

The Franklin Institute's highest award was the Elliott Cresson Medal, sometimes referred to as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal. Elliott Cresson, a life member of the Franklin Institute, created the award in 1848.

The medal was awarded "for some discovery in the Arts and Sciences, or for the invention or improvement of some useful machine, or for some new process or combination of materials in manufactures, or for ingenuity skill or perfection in workmanship."

The medal was awarded up until 1998.