| 1980 | Dr. Vladimir Zworykin ✝ | USA |
| 1981 | Prof. Dr.-Ing. E.h.Walter Bruch✝ | Germany |
| 1982 | Max Grundig ✝ | Germany |
| 1983 | Prof. Dr. h.c. Karl Holzamer ✝ | Germany |
| 1984 | Herbert von Karajan ✝ | Austria |
| 1985 | Sir Hugh Greene ✝ | Great Britain |
| 1986 | Masaru Ibuka ✝ | Japan |
| 1987 | Werner Höfer ✝ | Germany |
| 1988 | Ray Dolby | Germany |
| 1992 | Dr.-Ing., Ing. E.h. Rudolf Hell ✝ | Germany |
| 1994 | Prof. Ernst von Khuon-Wildegg ✝ | Germany |
| 1996 | Prof. Dr.h.c. mult. Lennart Graf Bernadotte af Wisborg ✝ | Sweden |
| 1998 | Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. mult. Heinz Zemanek | Österreich |
| 2000 | Dr. Dr.E.h. Dr.h.c. Heinrich von Pierer | Germany |
| 2001 | Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker | Germany |
| 2002 | Prof. mult. Dr.-Ing. Dr. E.h. Dr.h.c.mult. Hans-Jürgen Warnecke | Germany |
| 2004 | Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dr.h.c.mult. Hubert S. Markl | Germany |
| 2007 | Dr. Dr.h.c.mult. Valentina V. Tereschkova | Russia |
| 2008 | Prof. Dr. Dr. Herbert F. Mataré ✝ | Germany |
| 2012 | Michael Sohlman | Sweden |