November 2012 marked the centenary of the founding of X-ray crystallography by Lawrence Bragg, a field in which he and his father, William, made pre-eminent contributions that were recognised by the award of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915. William was the Elder Professor of Physics at the University of Adelaide from 1886 to 1909 and Lawrence was born and educated in Adelaide.

To celebrate this important anniversary, the legacy of the Braggs' discoveries in X-ray crystallography and the insights that they have provided into the structure of matter, a combined scientific meeting of the Asian Crystallography Association and the Society of Crystallographers in Australia and New Zealand, held in Adelaide from 2 to 5 December 2012, was followed by the Bragg Symposium at Elder Hall, The University of Adelaide on 6 December. This special Commemorative Symposium explored some of the historical context and personal links to the Braggs' work, and presented some contemporary aspects of the broader scientific and social impacts of the Braggs' work.