A gold medal is typically the highest medal awarded for achievement in a non-military field. The concept comes from the military, initially with a simple recognition of military rank, and later decorations for admission to military orders dating back to medieval times. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have been awarded in the arts (for example by the Royal Danish Academy), usually as a symbol of an award to give an outstanding student some financial freedom.

Others offer only the prestige of the award. Many organizations now award gold medals either annually or extraordinarily, including UNESCO and various academic societies. While most gold medals are gold-plated, often silver-gilt, like those of the Olympic Games, notable exceptions, made of solid gold, are the Lorentz Medal, the United States Congressional Gold Medal (which is shown to the right), and the Nobel Prize medal.

Nobel Prize medals are made from 18 carat green gold plated with 24 carat gold (before 1980 they were struck in 23 carat gold).

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