Finalists for First RIBA International Prize Announced

The Lubetkin Prize "was open to RIBA members building outside the European Union," according to RIBA, but they changed course after "winners told us it was one of those nice-to-win prizes, but felt it didn't compare to the prestigious Stirling Prize and the Pritzker, due to the relatively small field of competition."

So the International Prize was born and a shortlist of 30 buildings culled from hundreds of entries was announced in May 2016. The jury – chaired by Richard Rogers and including Billie Tsien, Kunlé Adeyemi, Philip Gumuchdjian, and Marilyn Jordan Taylor – visited each of the shortlisted projects in the summer and then selected the six finalists.

As the world of architecture is flooded with awards – ranging from the prestigious to the questionable – some are setting themselves apart by making direct experience of buildings a must on the part of the jury. This obviously applies to RIBA's new prize, but also to the Aga Khan, the EU-Mies Prize, and the MCHAP (as well, the Pritzker Architecture Prize is given after the jury visits buildings designed by that year's contenders). 

It's a refreshing trend, since it prioritizes experience over image, but it's one that adds a layer of exclusivity to the mix. Not all awards can afford to send their juries around the world, and those that can't might not be as highly regarded in the future as those that can. No wonder, then, that most of the awards that go to this effort take place every two or three years.

Per RIBA's announcement of the finalists for its first annual RIBA International Prize, "The buildings will now be visited [again] by the Grand Jury of the prize before the winner is announced on Thursday 24 November 2016." More information on the six finalists pictured here can be found on RIBA's website.