Awards

Architecture awards are the profession's public verdicts. The Pritzker Architecture Prize, first awarded in 1979, honours a living architect's body of work; the RIBA Stirling Prize, first awarded in 1996, picks the best new building in the UK; the Mies van der Rohe Award recognises contemporary architecture across Europe; and festivals and juried programmes such as the World Architecture Festival, the AIA awards and the Dezeen Awards survey hundreds of projects every year.

The Journal covers the architecture awards of 2026 as they happen: the shortlists, the winners and, above all, the buildings. A prize is only as interesting as the work it recognises, so each story looks closely at the projects — what they are, who they serve, how they are made — and asks what the jury's choice says about where architecture is heading. Shortlists are set out in tables so you can compare them at a glance, with links to the award body's own announcement.

We also keep track of the calendar. Many prizes announce a shortlist months before the winner, so a shortlist story is updated with the result rather than replaced, and you can follow one page from nomination to decision. When a laureate or a winning building has been covered elsewhere in the Journal, the stories link to each other.

Start with the current shortlists below, or browse the competitions section for the design contests where many prize-winning buildings began. For each prize we note when results are due, so you know when to come back.