The medal was established on the 22 of December 1942 and it was awarded to about 52,000 people. The medal itself was made of brass and its diameter was about 32mm. The inscription on the front read "For the Defense of Sevastopol" and the inscription on the back read "For our Soviet Motherland." Under the inscription, the medal featured a Soviet sailor and a Soviet soldier side by side. The medal also had a silk moire ribbon and it had a width of about 24mm.