Max Planck Medal

{{Short description|Physics award}}

Image:Max-Planck-und-Albert-Einstein.jpg (left) presents Albert Einstein (right) with the Max Planck medal of the German Physical Society, 28 June 1929, in Berlin, Germany.]]

The Max Planck Medal is the highest award of the German Physical Society {{lang|de|(Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft)}}, the world's largest organization of physicists, for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. The prize has been awarded annually since 1929, with few exceptions, and usually to a single person. The winner is awarded with a gold medal and hand-written parchment.{{cite web|url=https://www.dpg-physik.de/auszeichnungen/dpg-preise/max-planck-medaille/preistraeger|title=Official list of recipients of the Max-Planck medal|website=German Physical Society|language=de|access-date=March 23, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dpg-physik.de/auszeichnungen/dpg-preise/max-planck-medaille/videoportraits|title=Videoportraits of some recent recipients|website=German Physical Society|language=de|access-date=March 23, 2021}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.dpg-physik.de/auszeichnungen/dpg-preise/max-planck-medaille|title=Historical background and present by-law|website=German Physical Society|language=de|access-date=March 23, 2021}}

In 1943 it was not possible to manufacture the gold medal because the Berlin foundry was hit by a bomb. The board of directors of the German Physical Society decided to manufacture the medals in a substitute metal and to deliver the gold medals later.{{cite web|url=https://www.teleschach.de/archiv/ehrungen_f_hund.htm#mp|title=Replacement of the Max Planck Medal in 1943|website=teleschach.de|language=de|access-date=March 23, 2021}}{{cite book|editor=Walter Grotrian|chapter=Verleihung der Planck-Medaille an Pascual Jordan und Friedrich Hund|title=Verhandlungen der deutschen physikalischen Gesellschaft|publisher=Friedrich Vieweg & Sohn|page=20|date=April 30, 1943|language=de}}

The highest award of the German Physical Society for outstanding results in experimental physics is the Stern–Gerlach Medal.{{Cite web|language=de|url=https://www.dpg-physik.de/auszeichnungen/dpg-preise/stern-gerlach-medaille|title=Medaglia Stern-Gerlach|access-date=March 23, 2021|website=German Physical Society}}