Pritzker Architecture Prize facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pritzker Architecture Prize
Medal of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
Reward	US$100,000
First awarded	1979; 46 years ago (1979)

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is a very important international award. It is given out every year to a living architect or group of architects. The award honors those whose buildings show great talent, new ideas, and a strong dedication to making the world better through architecture.

The Pritzker Prize started in 1979. It was created by Jay A. Pritzker and his wife Cindy. The Pritzker family helps pay for the award, and the Hyatt Foundation supports it. Many people think it is one of the best architecture awards in the world. It is often called the "Nobel Prize of architecture."

How Winners Are Chosen

The Pritzker Architecture Prize Jury chooses winners "no matter their nationality, race, beliefs, or ideas." This means anyone can win! Winners receive US$100,000, a special certificate, and a bronze medal.

The medal's design is inspired by the architect Louis Sullivan. On the back of the medal, there are Latin words: firmitas, utilitas, venustas. These words mean "firmness, commodity, and delight" in English. They come from an Ancient Roman architect named Vitruvius. Before 1987, winners also received a special sculpture by Henry Moore.

The Selection Process

The prize's executive director, Manuela Lucá-Dazio, asks many people for nominations. These people include past winners, teachers, critics, and others who know a lot about architecture. Any licensed architect can also apply for the prize themselves before November 1 each year. For example, in 1988, Gordon Bunshaft nominated himself and won!

A jury of five to nine experts then decides the winner. These experts are professionals in architecture, business, education, publishing, and culture. They announce the winner early the next year. The current head of the jury is Alejandro Aravena, who won the prize in 2016.

Amazing Architects: The Laureates

The first winner in 1979 was Philip Johnson. He was honored for 50 years of creative and lively work. His buildings included museums, theaters, libraries, homes, and offices.

In 2004, Zaha Hadid became the first woman to win the prize. Ryue Nishizawa was the youngest winner in 2010; he was 44 years old. Sometimes, two architects share the award. This happened in 2001 with Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. It also happened in 2010, 2020, and 2021. In 1988, Gordon Bunshaft and Oscar Niemeyer both won the award separately. In 2017, Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta were the first group of three to share the prize.

The most recent winner, for 2025, is Liu Jiakun from China.

Pritzker Architecture Prize winners

Year	Laureate(s)	Nationality	Photo	Example work (year completed)		Award ceremony location	Ref.
1979	Johnson, PhilipPhilip Johnson	United States			Glass House (1949)	Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC
1980	Barragán, LuisLuis Barragán	Mexico			Cuadra San Cristóbal (1968)	Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC
1981	Stirling, JamesJames Stirling	United Kingdom			Seeley Historical Library (1968)	National Building Museum, Washington DC
1982	Roche, KevinKevin Roche	Ireland United States			Ford Foundation Building (1967)	Art Institute of Chicago
1983	Pei, I. M.I. M. Pei	United States			National Gallery of Art, East Building (1978)	Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
1984	Meier, RichardRichard Meier	United States			High Museum of Art (1983)	National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
1985	Hollein, HansHans Hollein	Austria			Abteiberg Museum (1982)	The Huntington Library, San Marino, California
1986	Böhm, GottfriedGottfried Böhm	Germany (West Germany)			Church of the Pilgrimage (1968)	Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London
1987	Tange, KenzōKenzō Tange	Japan			St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo (1964)	Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
1988	Bunshaft, GordonGordon Bunshaft (shared prize)	United States			Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (1963)	Art Institute of Chicago
	Niemeyer, OscarOscar Niemeyer (shared prize)	Brazil			Cathedral of Brasília (1958)
1989	Gehry, FrankFrank Gehry	Canada United States			Gehry Residence (1978)	Tōdai-ji, Nara, Japan
1990	Rossi, AldoAldo Rossi	Italy			San Cataldo Cemetery (1978)	Palazzo Grassi, Venice
1991	Venturi, RobertRobert Venturi	United States			National Gallery, Sainsbury Wing (1991)	Palace of Iturbide, Mexico City
1992	Siza Vieira, ÁlvaroÁlvaro Siza Vieira	Portugal			Leça Swimming Pools (1966)	Harold Washington Library, Chicago
1993	Maki, FumihikoFumihiko Maki	Japan			Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (1991)	Prague Castle
1994	de Portzamparc, ChristianChristian de Portzamparc	France			City of Music (1995)	The Commons, Columbus, Indiana
1995	Ando, TadaoTadao Ando	Japan			Church of the Light (1989)	Petit Trianon, Versailles
1996	Moneo, RafaelRafael Moneo	Spain			National Museum of Roman Art (1986)	Getty Center, Los Angeles
1997	Fehn, SverreSverre Fehn	Norway			Norwegian Glacier Museum (1991)	Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
1998	Piano, RenzoRenzo Piano	Italy			Kansai International Airport (1994)	White House, Washington DC
1999	Foster, NormanNorman Foster	United Kingdom			HSBC Building (1985)	Altes Museum, Berlin
2000	Koolhaas, RemRem Koolhaas	Netherlands			Kunsthal (1992)	Jerusalem Archaeological Park
2001	Jacques Herzog & Pierre de Meuron	Switzerland			Tate Modern (2000)	Monticello, Charlottesville, Virginia
2002	Murcutt, GlennGlenn Murcutt	Australia			Berowra Waters Inn (1983)	Campidoglio, Rome
2003	Utzon, JørnJørn Utzon	Denmark			Sydney Opera House (1973)	Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Madrid
2004	Hadid, ZahaZaha Hadid	Iraq United Kingdom			Bergisel Ski Jump (2003)	Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
2005	Mayne, ThomThom Mayne	United States			Caltrans District 7 Headquarters (2004)	Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago
2006	Mendes da Rocha, PauloPaulo Mendes da Rocha	Brazil			Saint Peter Chapel, Campos do Jordão, São Paulo (1987)	Dolmabahçe Palace, Istanbul
2007	Rogers, RichardRichard Rogers	Italy United Kingdom			Lloyd's building (1986)	Banqueting House, Whitehall, London
2008	Nouvel, JeanJean Nouvel	France			Torre Agbar (2005)	Library of Congress, Washington DC
2009	Zumthor, PeterPeter Zumthor	Switzerland			Therme Vals (1996)	Legislative Palace of the City Council, Buenos Aires
2010	Sejima, KazuyoKazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa	Japan			21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2003)	Ellis Island, New York City
2011	Souto de Moura, EduardoEduardo Souto de Moura	Portugal			Estádio Municipal de Braga (2004)	Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Washington DC
2012	Wang Shu	China			Ningbo Museum (2008)	Great Hall of the People, Beijing
2013	Ito, ToyoToyo Ito	Japan			Sendai Mediatheque (2001)	John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston
2014	Ban, ShigeruShigeru Ban	Japan			Centre Pompidou-Metz (2010)	Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
2015	Otto, FreiFrei Otto	Germany			Olympic Stadium, Munich (1972)	New World Center, Miami
2016	Aravena, AlejandroAlejandro Aravena	Chile			Siamese Towers, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (2005)	United Nations Headquarters, New York City
2017	Aranda, RafaelRafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, and Ramon Vilalta	Spain	–		Sant Antoni Library, Barcelona (2008)	Akasaka Palace, Tokyo
2018	Doshi, B. V.B. V. Doshi	India			Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (1977–1992, multiple phases)	Aga Khan Museum, Toronto
2019	Isozaki, ArataArata Isozaki	Japan			Art Tower Mito (1990)	Palace of Versailles
2020	Farrell, YvonneYvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara	Ireland			The Grafton Building of Bocconi University (2007)	Online
2021	Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal	France			National School of Architecture, Nantes (2009)	Online
2022	Francis Kéré, DiébédoDiébédo Francis Kéré	Burkina Faso Germany			Centre for Earth Architecture, Mopti, Mali (2010)	London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Marshall Building, London
2023	David Chipperfield	United Kingdom			Neues Museum, Berlin (1997–2009)	Ancient Agora of Athens
2024	Riken Yamamoto	Japan			Yokosuka Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan (2007)	Art Institute of Chicago
2025	Liu Jiakun	China			West Village, Chengdu, China (2015)	Louvre Abu Dhabi

Notes About Winners

• A.  Kevin Roche was born in Ireland.
• B.  I. M. Pei was born in China.
• C.  Frank Gehry was born in Canada.
• D.  Zaha Hadid was born in Iraq.
• E.  Richard Rogers was born in Italy.
• F.  Frei Otto received his award after he had passed away.
• G.  The 2020 and 2021 ceremonies were held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• H.  Diébédo Francis Kéré was born in Burkina Faso.
• I.  Riken Yamamoto was born in China when it was under Japanese control.

Learn More

• Driehaus Architecture Prize
• List of architecture awards
• List of prizes known as the Nobel of a field or the highest honors of a field

See also

In Spanish: Premio Pritzker para niños