Sarton medals are awarded to the Sarton chair holder and to the lecturers of the Sarton program in the faculties of Ghent University. In one year the Sarton committee selects only one Sarton medallists per faculty.
Ghent University's Sarton medals were first awarded in 1986. Annually since 1955 the History of Science Society also awards a Sarton Medal, its most prestigious award, to an outstanding historian of science from the international scholarly community for lifetime scholarly achievement.