An annual prize to honour the top scientist who gave his name to the Higgs boson particle has been formally launched.
First Minister Alex Salmond joined Professor Peter Higgs at a reception in Edinburgh to unveil the award for school pupils who excel in physics.
The Higgs Prize will give young physics students the chance to win a trip to international organisation Cern, in Geneva, where work to research the "God particle" continues.
Prof Higgs, a theoretical physicist, previously said he hopes the new prize will inspire the young students of today. The Institute of Physics has also welcomed the award.
Mr Salmond said: "Professor Peter Higgs' achievements are known all over the world and they have their roots in a very wet trip to the West Highlands which resulted in a rapid return to Edinburgh - where he has been based since 1960 - and the completion of a very important paper.
"We want the Higgs Prize to inspire young students of physics in Scotland's schools to similar heights."
Prof Higgs, who has retired from Edinburgh University, hit upon his defining concept when he started to consider the existence of a particle that gives matter its mass. He wrote two scientific papers on his theory and was eventually published in the Physical Review Letters journal, sparking a decades-long hunt for the Higgs boson.
In July, a team from the European nuclear research facility at Cern announced the detection of a particle that fitted the description of the elusive Higgs.
Last week it was announced that the physicist is to receive a medal recognising significant contributions to the field of science and technology. Prof Higgs will receive the Edinburgh Medal, jointly with Cern, at a ceremony in March. He was also made a Companion of Honour in the latest New Year Honours list.
The prize-launch at the First Minister's official residence came during a reception to honour the work of the Scottish Science Advisory Council. It also fell in a week of events designed to showcase Scotland's scientific expertise, which ministers say supports around around 170,000 jobs.
