The "Nobel Prize for Philanthropy," the Carnegie Medals programme will this year, on October 17th, honour four of the world’s most prolific philanthropists – the Heinz family, the Mellon family, Eli Broad and the Tata family.

The medals, created to honour Andrew Carnegie's career as a philanthropist, are awarded every two years to families and individuals who have dedicated their private wealth to the public good and who have sustained impressive careers as philanthropists.

The honourees will receive their medals at a ceremony to be held at the Carnegie Music hall in Pittsburgh, USA, and the city was chosen for this year's celebration to highlight Carnegie's impact on the region's businesses, education, and culture. Carnegie immigrated to Pittsburgh in 1848 from Dunfermline, Scotland, and the awards ceremony was held outside the USA for the first time in 2005 in Edinburgh.

This was the year that the Cadbury Family was awarded the Carnegie medal and Philanthropy UK interviewed Anna Southall, the then Chair of the Barrow Cadbury Trust, about winning the medal and the history and work of the foundation in the December 2005 Newsletter.

Click here to read more about the prize in a Guardian Unlimited article (18th Nov) written by Philanthropy UK's Publications Editor, Beth Breeze.