The Lovelace Medal was established by the British Computer Society in 1998. Ada Lovelace was a mathematician and scientist who worked with, and was an inspiration to, the computer pioneer Charles Babbage.

The Medal is intended to be presented to individuals who have made a contribution which is of major significance in the advancement of Information Systems or which adds significantly to the understanding of Information Systems. The essence of the award is to recognise people who may not have been widely recognised before, and these may include international candidates. Equally, the BCS is pleased to consider those who may have made a managerial, as opposed to a purely technical, contribution.

It is generally anticipated that there will be one medallist each year, but the regulation does not preclude either several medallists or no medallist.