Pritzker Architecture Prize

The **Pritzker Architecture Prize** is given each year by the Hyatt Foundation. It is for talented and significant architects who has created great projects throughout his or her life. Jay A. Pritzker and his wife Cindy began the award in 1979. The Pritzker family pays for the prize. It is the top prize in architecture, and it is often called the Nobel Prize of architecture. The country, race, religion or political ideas of the architect are not important. Winners get US$100,000 and  a certificate. Winners receive a medal. The back of the medal has these words in Latin—_firmitas, utilitas, venustas_ (English: _durability, utility, and beauty_). The idea comes from the Roman architect Vitruvius. Before 1987, a limited edition Henry Moore sculpture came with the prize money.

## Selection

Martha Thorne has been the Executive Director since 2009. The director asks many people, including past winners, academics, critics and others involved in architecture to suggest possible winners. Any licensed architect can also apply for the prize before 1 November every year. In 1988 Gordon Bunshaft applied for the award himself and eventually won it. Five to nine jury members meet early the next year before announcing the winner in spring.

## Winners

The first winner was Philip Johnson. The award was "for 50 years of imagination and vitality" shown by the many "museums, theaters, libraries, houses, gardens and corporate structures". The 2004 laureate Zaha Hadid was the first female prize winner. Ryūe Nishizawa became the youngest winner in 2010 at age 44.  The most recent winner, in 2019, is Arata Isozaki.

## List of prize winners

|Year|Laureate|Nationality|Example work (year completed)|Ceremony location|Ref(s)|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1979||||Glass House (1949)|Dumbarton Oaks|||
|1980||||Torres de Satélite (1957)|Dumbarton Oaks|||
|1981||||Seeley Historical Library (1968)|National Building Museum|||
|1982||||Knights of Columbus Building (1969)|Art Institute of Chicago|||
|1983||||National Gallery of Art, East Building (1978)|Metropolitan Museum of Art|||
|1984||||High Museum of Art (1983)|National Gallery of Art|||
|1985||||Abteiberg Museum (1982)|The Huntington Library|||
|1986||||Iglesia Youth Center Library (1968)|Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths|||
|1987||||St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo (1964)|Kimbell Art Museum|||
|1988||||Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (1963)|Art Institute of Chicago|||
|1988||||Cathedral of Brasília (1958)|Art Institute of Chicago|||
|1989||||Walt Disney Concert Hall (1999–2003)|Tōdai-ji|||
|1990||||Bonnefanten Museum (1990)|Palazzo Grassi|||
|1991||||National Gallery (London), Sainsbury Wing (1991)|Palacio de Iturbide|||
|1992||||Pavilion of Portugal in Expo'98 (1998)|Harold Washington Library|||
|1993||||Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (1991)|Prague Castle|||
|1994||||French Embassy, Berlin (2003)|The Commons, Columbus, Indiana|||
|1995||||Nagaragawa Convention Center (1995)|Palace of Versailles|||
|1996||||Kursaal Palace (1999)|Getty Center|||
|1997||||Norwegian Glacier Museum (1991)|Guggenheim Museum Bilbao|||
|1998||||Kansai International Airport (1994)|White House|||
|1999||||Millennium Bridge (London) (2000)|Altes Museum|||
|2000||||Casa da Música (2003)|Jerusalem Archaeological Park|||
|2001|Herzog & de Meuron|||Tate Modern (2000)|Monticello|||
|2002||||Berowra Waters Inn (1983)|Michelangelo's Campidoglio|||
|2003||||Sydney Opera House (1973)|Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando|||
|2004||||Bridge Pavilion (2008)|Hermitage Museum|||
|2005||||San Francisco Federal Building (2007)|Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park|||
|2006||||Saint Peter Chapel, São Paulo (1987)|Dolmabahçe Palace|||
|2007||||Lloyd's building (1986)|Banqueting House, Whitehall|||
|2008||||Torre Agbar (2005)|Library of Congress|||
|2009||||Therme Vals (1996)|Legislative Palace of the City Council, Buenos Aires|||
|2010|Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA) ||  ||  || 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2003) || Ellis Island |||||||||
|2011|Eduardo Souto de Moura|||Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga (2004)|Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium|||
|2012|Wang Shu|||Ningbo Museum (2008)|Beijing|||
|2013|Toyo Ito|||Sendai Mediatheque, Sendai (2001)|John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston|||
|2014|Shigeru Ban||||Takatori Catholic Church, Kobe (2005)|Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam||

## Other websites

- Pritzker Architecture Prize Official Site

## Infobox (award)

- **name**: Pritzker Architecture Prize
- **awarded for**: A career of achievement in the art of architecture
- **reward**: US$100,000
- **sponsor**: Hyatt Foundation
- **year2**: 2021