RIBA International Prize opens

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The Royal Institute of British Architects headquarters. Image: Royal Institute of British Architects

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Richard Rogers will sit on the grand jury for the 2016 RIBA International Prize. Image: Royal Institute of British Architects

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Kunlé Adeyemi will sit on the grand jury for the 2016 RIBA International Prize. Image: Royal Institute of British Architects

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Philip Gumuchdjian will sit on the grand jury for the 2016 RIBA International Prize. Image: Royal Institute of British Architects

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RIBA president Jane Duncan. Image: Royal Institute of British Architects

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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced a new global prize, the RIBA International Prize, which will recognize the world’s best new building. The prize will be awarded from 2016, coinciding with the 20th year of the Stirling Prize.

The RIBA International Prize is open to any qualified architect in the world, and will reward buildings that demonstrate innovative design and positive social effects.

RIBA president Jane Duncan. Image: Royal Institute of British Architects

“It is our intention that the RIBA International Prize will uncover the world’s most innovative and visionary architecture and spark local and global debates about the positive impact that well-designed buildings and places can have on their communities and environment,” said RIBA president Jane Duncan.

Twenty projects eligible for the International Prize will win RIBA Awards for International Excellence, and those projects will then be shortlisted down to six. The winner of the RIBA International Prize will be chosen from the final group of six.

The grand jury for the prize will include Richard Rogers, winner of the 2007 Pritzker Architecture Prize, Kunlé Adeyemi, a Nigerian architect who founded architecture and design practice NLÉ, and Philip Gumuchdjian, founder of London practice Gumuchdjian Architects.

“I’m delighted to lead the jury for the inaugural RIBA International Prize, and look forward to discovering how architecture is reacting to and resolving issues posed by the changing demands of a global community,” said Rogers.

“We look forward to establishing the RIBA International Prize as a new standard by which to assess and promote design excellence on a global scale.”

Two expert panels will visit each of the 20 winners of the RIBA Awards for International Excellence in person twice, and the grand jury members will then select six finalists from this pool to visit once more to decide on the winner.

For the inaugural RIBA International Prize in 2016, buildings submitted for consideration must have been completed between 1 January 2013 and 1 February 2016. Beyond 2016, submitted projects must have been completed within two years.

Entries for the award opened on Tuesday 8 December, and the deadline for submissions is Tuesday 9 February 2016. The winning building will be announced at a ceremony in London in December 2016.

For more information about the awards and to enter, click here.