Stirling Prize

File:Barajas interior1.jpg

Barajas Airport Terminal 4 interior, Richard Rogers Partnership, 2006.

The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The Stirling Prize is presented to "the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year". The architects must be RIBA members. Until 2014 the building could have been anywhere in the European Union, but since 2015 entries have had to be in the United Kingdom. In the past, the award included a £20,000 prize, but it currently carries no prize money.

History

The award was founded in 1996, and is considered to be the most prestigious architecture award in the United Kingdom. The presentation ceremony has been televised by Channel 4. Six shortlisted buildings are chosen from a long-list of buildings that have received a RIBA National Award. These awards are given to buildings showing "high architectural standards and substantial contribution to the local environment".

In addition to the RIBA Stirling Prize, five other awards are given to buildings on the long-list. In 2015 they consisted of: the RIBA National Award, the RIBA Regional Award, the Manser Medal, the Stephen Lawrence Prize and the RIBA Client of the Year Award. For years prior to 1996, the award was known as the "Building of the Year Award".

In 2000 several architects from Scotland and Wales made claims of metropolitan bias after five out of seven designs shortlisted by judges were located within London. Critics described the list as "London-centric". The chairman of the judges in the contest rejected the claims, saying that the first Stirling Prize was awarded to a building in Salford, Greater Manchester.

On 30 September 2020, RIBA announced that the awards had been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Judges selected the 2021 prize winner from the 2020 shortlist.

Laureates and runners-up

As the RIBA Building of the Year Award

Year	Laureate	Winning work		Nominees and works
1987	Jane and David Darbyshire		St Oswald's Hospice, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne
1988	Evans and Shalev	File:Courts of Justice - geograph.org.uk - 2009586.jpg	Truro Crown Courts, Truro, Cornwall
1989	William Howland		Nelson Mandela Primary School, Birmingham	James Stirling, Michael Wilford and Associates for Tate in the North, Liverpool Marks and Spencer Kings Meadow Financial Services Centre, Chester 13 other regional award winners
1990	Colin Stansfield Smith of Hampshire County Architects		Queens Inclosure Middle School, Waterlooville, Hampshire	Herron Associates for Imagination Headquarters, London Edward Cullinan Architects for RMC Group Headquarters, Egham, Surrey
1991	Peter Foggo of Arup Associates	File:Broadgate Circle.jpg	Broadgate, London	Alsop, Lyall and Störmer for Cardiff Bay Visitors Centre, Cardiff Terry Farrell and Partners for Embankment Place, London John Young for Deck House, London Manser Associates for Sterling Hotel, Terminal 4, Heathrow Airport, London Bennetts Associates for Imperium Offices, Reading, Berkshire
1992	Norman Foster	File:Modern elevator, Royal Academy - geograph.org.uk - 3776221.jpg	Sackler Galleries, Royal Academy of Arts, London	Norman Foster for New Terminal, Stansted Airport, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex Michael Hopkins and Partners for Bracken House, London Richard Rogers Partnership for Reuters Data Centre, Blackwall, London
1993	Nev Churcher and Sally Daniels of Hampshire County Architects		Woodlea Primary School, Bordon, Hampshire	Edward Cullinan Architects for Fountains Abbey Visitors Centre, Aldfield, North Yorkshire Richard Horden Associates for Queen's Stand, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom, Surrey
1994	Nicholas Grimshaw	File:Waterloo International Station geograph-4062143-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg	Waterloo International railway station, London	35 other regional finalists
1995	Lobb Partnership	File:Huddersfield the-john-smiths-stadium.jpg	McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield	39 other regional finalists

As the Stirling Prize

Year	Laureate	Winning work		Nominees and works
1996		File:Centenary Building.jpg	Centenary Building, University of Salford, Salford (demolished in 2025)
1997	James Stirling, Michael Wilford and Associates	File:Stuttgart HochschuleFuerMusikUndDarstellendeKunst.jpg	Stuttgart Music School, Stuttgart, Germany	Will Alsop for Hotel du Département des Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille, France Mark Guard for roof-top apartment, Paris, France Richard Murphy for Maggie's Centre, Edinburgh Richard Rogers Partnership for Paul Hamlyn Learning Resource Centre, Thames Valley University, London Chris Wilkinson for Stratford Market depot, Jubilee line, London
1998	Foster + Partners	File:Duxford UK Feb2005 American.JPG	Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire	Rick Mather Architects for a private house, London Ian Ritchie Architects for Crystal Palace Park Concert Platform, Crystal Palace, London Ian Taylor with Bennetts Associates for Richard Attenborough Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester Stephenson Bell for Quay Bar, Manchester (demolished in 2007) Inskip and Jenkins for Temple of Concord and Victory (restoration), Stowe, Buckinghamshire Günter Behnisch for St Benno School, Dresden, Germany Günter Behnisch for Landesgirokasse, Stuttgart, Germany David Chipperfield for an office and studio building, Düsseldorf, Germany Norman Foster and Partners for Commerzbank HQ, Frankfurt, Germany Colin St John Wilson for British Library, London
1999	Future Systems	File:Nat West media centre cropped.jpg	Lord's Media Centre, London	David Chipperfield Architects for River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire Benson & Forsyth for Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Alsop, Lyall & Störmer for North Greenwich tube station, London Chris Wilkinson Architects for Jubilee Line Extension Project, London Wilford Associates for Sto AG Marketing and Training Building, Stühlingen, Germany Foster + Partners for Reichstag, Berlin, Germany O'Donnell & Tuomey for Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School, Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland
2000	Alsop & Störmer	File:DSCN4087.JPG	Peckham Library, London	Caruso St John for New Art Gallery Walsall, West Midlands Norman Foster and Foster + Partners for Canary Wharf tube station, London Marks Barfield for London Eye, London Richard Rogers Partnership for 88 Wood Street, City of London Sauerbruch Hutton for GSW Headquarters, Berlin, Germany Chetwood Associates for Sainsbury's Supermarket, Greenwich, London
2001	Wilkinson Eyre Architects	File:Magna Science Adventure Centre.jpg	Magna Centre, Rotherham, South Yorkshire	Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners, Anthony Hunt for Eden Project, Cornwall Eldridge Smerin for The Lawns, Highgate, London Jeremy Dixon Edward Jones for National Portrait Gallery extension, London Guy Greenfield Architects for The Surgery, Hammersmith, London Michael Hopkins & Partners for Portcullis House and Westminster tube station, London Michael Wilford & Partners for British Embassy in Berlin, Germany
2002	Wilkinson Eyre Architects & Gifford	File:Gateshead millennium bridge open.jpg	Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Gateshead	Malcolm Fraser Architects for Dance Base, Grassmarket, Edinburgh Edward Cullinan Architects for Weald and Downland Gridshell, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, West Sussex David Chipperfield Architects for Ernsting's Service Centre, Coesfeld-Lette, Germany Building Design Partnership for Hampden Gurney Church of England Primary School, London Richard Rogers Partnership for Lloyd's Register of Shipping, London Benson & Forsyth for Millennium Wing, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
2003	Herzog & de Meuron	File:Laban Dance Centre RJL.JPG	Laban, Deptford, London	Bill Dunster Architects for BedZED, Hackbridge, London Eric Parry Architects for 30 Finsbury Square, London Foster + Partners for Great Court, British Museum, London Ian Ritchie Architects for Plymouth Theatre Royal Production Centre, Plymouth Sutherland Hussey Architects with Jake Harvey, Donald Urquhart, Glen Onwin and Sandra Kennedy for Tiree Shelter, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
2004	Foster + Partners	File:30 St Mary Axe from Leadenhall Street.jpg	30 St Mary Axe, London	Studio Daniel Libeskind for Imperial War Museum North, Trafford Park, Greater Manchester MacCormac Jamieson Prichard with Rummey Design for The Phoenix Initiative, Coventry Foster + Partners for Business Academy, Bexley, London Ian Ritchie Architects for Spire of Dublin, Ireland Peter Cook, Colin Fournier for Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria
2005	EMBT & RMJM	File:Edinburgh Scottish Parliament01 2006-04-29.jpg	Scottish Parliament building, Edinburgh	Bennetts Associates for Jubilee Library, Brighton Zaha Hadid for BMW Central Building, Leipzig, Germany Foster + Partners for McLaren Technology Centre, Woking O'Donnell & Tuomey for Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork, Ireland Alsop Designs for Fawood Children's Centre, Harlesden, London
2006	Richard Rogers Partnership	File:Barajas interior1.jpg	Barajas Airport Terminal 4, Madrid, Spain	Adjaye Associates for Whitechapel Idea Store, London Hopkins Architects for Evelina Children's Hospital, London Caruso St John Architects for Brick House, London Richard Rogers Partnership for Senedd (Welsh Assembly building), Cardiff Zaha Hadid for Phaeno Science Centre, Wolfsburg, Germany
2007	David Chipperfield Architects	File:MarbachLiteraturmuseumModerne.jpg	Museum of Modern Literature, Marbach, Germany	David Chipperfield Architects for America's Cup Building, Valencia, Spain Office for Metropolitan Architecture/Arup-AFA for Casa da Música, Porto, Portugal Foster + Partners for Dresden Station Redevelopment, Dresden, Germany Glenn Howells Architects, for Savill Building Visitors' Centre, Windsor Great Park, Windsor Haworth Tompkins for Young Vic Theatre, London
2008	Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Alison Brooks Architects and Maccreanor Lavington	File:Steel Building - western facade.jpg	Accordia housing development, Cambridge	Grimshaw/Arcadis for Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station, Amsterdam, Netherlands Denton Corker Marshall for Manchester Civil Justice Centre, Manchester Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher for Nord Park Railway, Innsbruck, Austria Allies and Morrison for Royal Festival Hall, London Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for Westminster Academy, London
2009	Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners	File:Maggie's Centre, Charing Cross, London.jpg	Maggie's Centre, London	Tony Fretton Architects for Fuglsang Kunstmuseum, Lolland, Denmark Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for Bodegas Protos winery, Peñafiel, Spain BDP for Liverpool One Masterplan, Liverpool Eric Parry Architects for 5 Aldermanbury Square, London Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for Kentish Town Health Centre, London
2010	Zaha Hadid	File:MAXXI ingresso 04.jpg	MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, Rome, Italy	David Chipperfield for Neues Museum, Berlin DSDHA for Christ's College, Guildford Rick Mather Architects for Ashmolean Museum, Oxford dRMM for Clapham Manor Primary School, London Theis and Khan for Bateman's Row, Shoreditch, London
2011	Zaha Hadid	File:Evelyn Grace Academy, Shakespeare Road.jpg	Evelyn Grace Academy, London	O'Donnell & Tuomey for An Gaeláras, Derry, Northern Ireland Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for The Angel Building, London David Chipperfield Architects for Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany Bennetts Associates for Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Hopkins Architects for The Velodrome, London
2012	Stanton Williams	File:Sainsbury Laboratory- Botanic Garden Cambridge (9120932218).jpg	Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge	David Chipperfield Architects for The Hepworth, Wakefield O'Donnell & Tuomey for Lyric Theatre, Belfast OMA for Maggie's Centre, Glasgow OMA with Allies and Morrison for New Court, London Populous for Olympic Stadium, London
2013	Witherford Watson Mann Architects	File:Astley Castle Across the Moat.JPG	Astley Castle, Nuneaton, Warwickshire	Grafton Architects for the medical school at University of Limerick, Ireland Hawkins\Brown with Studio Egret West for Park Hill, Sheffield Alison Brooks Architects for Newhall Be, Essex heneghan peng architects for Giant's Causeway Visitors' Centre, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Niall McLaughlin Architects for Bishop Edward King Chapel, Ripon College Cuddesdon, South Oxfordshire
2014	Haworth Tompkins	File:Everyman Theatre, Liverpool 2018.jpg	Everyman Theatre, Liverpool	Mecanoo for Library of Birmingham, Birmingham Zaha Hadid for London Aquatics Centre, London Renzo Piano for The Shard, London O'Donnell & Tuomey for Saw Swee Hock Student Centre at LSE, London Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios for Manchester School of Art, Manchester
2015	Allford Hall Monaghan Morris	File:Burntwood School.jpg	Burntwood School, Wandsworth, London	Niall McLaughlin Architects for Darbishire Place, Whitechapel, London Reiach and Hall Architects for Maggie's Centre Lanarkshire, Airdrie, Scotland Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for NEO Bankside, Bankside, London heneghan peng architects for University of Greenwich Stockwell Street Building, Greenwich, London McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) for Whitworth Art Gallery extension, Manchester
2016	Caruso St John Architects	File:Newport Street Gallery, London.jpg	Newport Street Gallery, Vauxhall, London	Herzog & de Meuron for Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Oxford Loyn & Co Architects for Outhouse (private residence), Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire Michael Laird Architects & Reiach and Hall Architects for Riverside Campus, City of Glasgow College, Glasgow, Scotland dRMM Architects for Trafalgar Place housing, Elephant and Castle, London Wilkinson Eyre Architects for Weston Library, University of Oxford, Oxford
2017	dRMM	File:Hastings Pier geograph-5972693-by-N-Chadwick.jpg	Hastings Pier, East Sussex	Groupwork + Amin Taha for Barrett's Grove housing scheme, Stoke Newington, London Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for British Museum World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, London Reiach and Hall Architects and Michael Laird Architects for City Campus at the City of Glasgow College, Glasgow Baynes and Mitchell Architects for Command of the Oceans display at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent 6a architects for Photography Studio for Juergen Teller, London
2018	Foster + Partners	File:Bloomberg European Headquarters, London.jpg	Bloomberg London	Waugh Thistleton Architects for Bushey Cemetery, Bushey, Hertfordshire Henley Halebrown for Chadwick Hall, University of Roehampton, London Jamie Fobert Architects with Evans & Shalev for the new build at Tate St Ives, Cornwall MUMA for Storey's Field Community Centre and Nursery, North West Cambridge Niall McLaughlin Architects for The Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, Worcester College, Oxford
2019	Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley	File:Goldsmith Street, Norwich geograph-6293210-by-Evelyn-Simak.jpg	Goldsmith Street council housing, Norwich	Matthew Barnett Howland with Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton for Cork House, Berkshire Grimshaw Architects for London Bridge station, Southwark, London Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners for The Macallan distillery and Visitor Experience, Moray, Scotland Witherford Watson Mann Architects for Nevill Holt Opera, Leicestershire Feilden Fowles for The Weston, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Yorkshire
2020	Award postponed until 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Grafton Architects		Kingston University Town House, London	Marks Barfield for Cambridge Central Mosque Ney & Partners and William Matthews Associates for Tintagel Castle footbridge, North Cornwall Carmody Groarke for Windermere Jetty Museum Stanton Williams for Key Worker Housing, Eddington, Cambridge Amin Taha for 15 Clerkenwell Close, Islington, London
2022	Niall McLaughlin Architects	File:New Library, Magdalene College 2024-03-14 (1).jpg	The New Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge	Hopkins Architects for 100 Liverpool Street, London Reiach and Hall Architects for Forth Valley College - Falkirk Campus, Scotland Henley Halebrown for Hackney New Primary School and 333 Kingsland Road, London Panter Hudspith Architects for Orchard Gardens, Elephant Park, Elephant and Castle, London Mæ for Sands End Arts and Community Centre, Fulham, London
2023	Mæ		John Morden Centre, Morden College, Blackheath, London	Apparata for A House for Artists, Barking, London Adam Khan Architects for Central Somers Town Community Facilities and Housing, Camden, London Witherford Watson Mann Architects for Courtauld Connects, Westminster, London Sergison Bates for Lavender Hill Courtyard Housing, Clapham, London Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios for University of Warwick Faculty of Arts, Coventry
2024	Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and Atkins	File:2024-09-04 Elizabeth Line. Liverpool Street - 04.jpg	Elizabeth line, London	Al-Jawad Pike for Chowdhury Walk, London Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates for King's Cross Masterplan, London Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell for National Portrait Gallery, London Mikhail Riches for Park Hill Phase 2, Sheffield Clementine Blakemore Architects for Wraxall Yard, Dorset
2025	Witherford Watson Mann Architects	File:Appleby Blue Almshouses, Bermondsey 2025-09-04.jpg	Appleby Blue Almshouse, Southwark, London	Purcell for Elizabeth Tower, Westminster, London Hugh Strange Architects for Hastings House, Hastings, East Sussex Allies and Morrison for London College of Fashion, Stratford, London Takero Shimazaki Architects for Niwa House, East Dulwich, London Herzog & de Meuron/BDP for The Discovery Centre, Cambridge

See also

• List of architecture prizes

External links

• RIBA Stirling Prize