RIBA International Awards information and entry guidelines

Please note that entries to the RIBA International Awards 2024 will open this Autumn.

Why enter the RIBA Awards

For over 50 years the RIBA awards and prizes have championed and celebrated the best architecture in the UK and around the world, no matter the form, size or budget. Successful projects reflect changes and innovations in architecture, but at their core display a commitment to designing and developing buildings and spaces for the improvement and enhancement of people’s lives.

RIBA awards are regarded by both the public and profession as the most valued architecture awards with an unrivalled approach to the judging and promotion of good architecture.
RIBA awards and prizes are the most rigorously judged awards for architectural excellence and are based on the judgement of peers as a result of building visits.
All award-winning projects will have been visited by at least one expert jury.
All RIBA awards are judged by award-winning architects and relevant lay assessors.
Award winners will have PR support from the RIBA and the chance to be featured in online, print and filmed content by our prestigious media partners.
Award-winning projects are featured on architecture.com which has a growing annual visit rate of over 2.5 million globally.
RIBA awards are highlighted and amplified on all of our social media channels with a global reach of over 300,000 followers.
Award winners will receive both hard copy and digital RIBA Awards marketing assets.

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Who can enter

International Awards 2024

The RIBA International Prize welcomes any qualified architect from across the globe.

To enter, the lead architect must:

be a qualified architect
submit a project outside of the UK
submit an architectural structure that has been completed within five years prior to applying. The structure must also be in use during the judging period, which takes place from the closing date to one year following
have the client's permission to submit the building

Applicants are asked to provide evidence of their membership of an organisation such as the RIBA, or registration with an architecture registration board. If the applicant is not a member of any such organisation, we will need details of qualification certificates and the academic institute in which they graduated from.

If you would like to benefit from the RIBA member discount offered on entry fees please see more information on becoming a member.

How to enter

To complete an awards submission, all of the following information is requested:

Project information

Project name
Project address (including county) and postcode if applicable
Gross internal area in sq m, in the case of largely landscape/urban design projects gross external area in sq m
net internal area in sq m
Contract value/building cost of the project including build and fit-out if done/overseen by the architect (excluding land costs and fees)
Occupation date of the project

Contact details

Architect practice /studio name
Architect practice/studio address/country
Contact details for project director/architect, client and contractor
Contact for jury visits
Press contact
Photographer details

If you worked in collaboration with another practice or architect then you must all be in agreement on the entry and how the building should be credited.

Project description

500 words describing the project, setting out:

the client’s brief
planning constraints
materials and method of construction
summary of timetable
programme and budget constraints
a short statement on how the building contributes to its society and meets the principles of inclusive design, where applicable

This project description will be used in jury meetings and to influence editorial coverage, so please ensure this fully covers your entry.

Key consultants

A list of all key consultants to be credited, e.g. structural engineer, services engineer, landscape architect(s) etc with contact details.

These consultants will be credited on all of our online content, press releases and awards certificates.

Images

Entrants are required to submit the following:

a minimum of 5 and up to 10 JPEG images with a minimum width and/or height of 1000 px (max file size is 10MB)

Entrants must:

select five of these images to be used for press purposes - we recommend press images to be at least 2000 pixels in height or width and 300dpi
include a mixture of external and internal shots of the project
upload each image as single image files, not composite boards - an exception to this rule would be to place the before and after images of a refurb project side by side and upload as one file
convey the way in which the project relates to its context, as these images are used for judging purposes
include both wide shots and close-ups, and show the building in use, if possible
not include company logos or text on any images
include the photographer credit for each image uploaded

Drawings

Entrants must also upload:

a minimum of one and a maximum of six drawing files as JPEG format only (max file size is 2MB)

This should include:

a location plan (showing the project in context, eg 1:1250)
a site plan
a ground floor plan (showing main access)
a typical floor plan
two sections
You may upload up to six separate files. These can be configured as one to two drawings per page, if necessary. Please bear in mind the jury will be reading the drawings on A4 pages and on screen, so landscape orientation is preferred if possible.

Photographers

Entrants will need to include:

the name and contact details of photographer(s)

Please bear in mind:

RIBA will only use the photographs or other media submitted for the purposes of the RIBA Awards
RIBA will require confirmation that the relevant copyright owner of the photograph or other media submitted has licensed the right to use the photograph or other media of your scheme for all purposes related to the RIBA Awards (in print, social and digital media). This might include publicising an exhibition (of winning entries), a lecture series (featuring the winning architects), or promoting the award itself.
photographers will always be credited on their images, so supplying us with the correct information on each photograph is essential

Sustainability

Our Awards criteria is aligned to support the 2030 Climate Challenge and the measures articulated within the Challenge are increasingly being used to define the standards expected of RIBA Award winning projects.
For 2024 Awards: All projects are expected to meet statutory targets in achieving sustainable outcomes and measure and verify how they perform. We will ask for different levels of information depending on the size of your project, but please complete as many questions as possible so that we can understand the credentials of your scheme.
We will provide a template for you to download and send to any external sustainability consultants to fill in and send back to you. All figures must then be completed in the online entry.
Please note: If mandatory data is required but not applicable to your project, please insert ‘0’ (zero) in the data fields in the online sustainability form - i.e. a bridge will not be able to provide some mandatory data.

UN Global Compact

RIBA supports the universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption that form the UN Global Compact
as a signatory, the RIBA is committed to upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethics in architecture and the wider construction industry
RIBA reserves the right to request further information about the ways in which the scheme complies with the principles of the UN Global Compact and will take this into account when determining awards

Terms and Conditions

Use of Information

Data, including images, plans, drawings, technical and budget information and narrative text submitted in support of all RIBA Awards entries will be used by the RIBA and Judges acting on its behalf for the purposes of assessing Awards entries in the current year of judging. Any information relating to budget, personal details, such as company names or client names, addresses that the individual or agent preparing the application wishes to remain confidential during and subsequent to the Judging process has the facility (through the online entry system) to mark this information as confidential during the application process. Information marked as Confidential will not be shared for publicity or any form of public dissemination. Information not marked as Confidential will be assumed to be suitable for public dissemination. For the avoidance of doubt, information marked confidential will be shared with Awards Juries acting on the behalf of the RIBA for the purposes of evaluating and assessing Awards entries. Juries will be made aware of their obligation to treat the information as Confidential beyond the immediate purposes of assessing Awards entries. The visual data (images, plans, drawings) will also be used by RIBA for the promotion of the Awards.

Data will be held by the RIBA in perpetuity for the purposes of maintaining a record of the entries and for the RIBA archive. This information will not be shared with any third party without the express and prior consent of the author, their clients or agents acting on their behalf.

Payment

Online entry must be paid by credit card or debit card and in GBP sterling. We cannot issue invoices.
The entry fee is dependent on the contract value of the building entered, see payment bands below, which are applicable to all entrants.
Payments must be made separately for each entry submitted, i.e. they cannot be grouped together for multiple entries and you must pay the full amount, including UK VAT.
Payments must be made online using a valid credit or debit card at the end of the entry process.
Once payment is made you cannot alter your entry.

Financial support

We now provide financial support via discounted or free entry for architects and practices without the financial resource to enter our 2024 Awards programme. You can contact the Awards Team via awards@riba.org for more information. Please note that applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Entry fees

We are reviewing our entry fees for 2024. They will be added to this section once confirmed. Please note that prices may vary from year to year.

The entry fee is dependent on the contract value of the project.
All fees are shown in GBP sterling excluding VAT. UK VAT will be charged for all entries.

RIBA members receive a further 25% discount on entry fees, see more information on becoming a member.

Judging criteria and process

Judges will be asked to assess buildings on the following criteria:

Architectural integrity

The project must:

be capable of stimulating, engaging and delighting its occupants, visitors and passers by
have a design vision that's reflected in all aspects of the design
have a robust design that has potential for flexibility in the future
be environmentally and economically sustainable
provide social value
demonstrate innovation, invention and originality
select materials considering the environmental impact
have an appropriate scale
be detailed with rigour
consider size and space, in terms of the spatial experience it offers
demonstrate architectural and conceptual ambition
have a completed sustainability statement, including a response to the target etrics set out in the RIBA 2030 Challenge

Usability and context

The project must:

respond generously to the public realm or environment
make a significant contribution to the community
respond to the issues of accessibility and other social factors
have suitable structural and servicing systems
contribute generously to the public realm or environment

Delivery, execution and initial occupation

The project will be judged on:

the complexity of brief and degree of difficulty; its architectural ambition and ideas
whether it's fit for purpose, especially in response to the client's brief as reflected in the level of client satisfaction
its timetable - the project should not have gone over time without good cause
the type of contract, for example: traditional, design and build etc
value for money and budget
client and users’ feedback on the project in use

Judging process

RIBA Awards and prizes are the most rigorously judged awards for architectural excellence. No award or prize is given unless the project has been visited by at least one jury. All RIBA awards are judged by award-winning architects and relevant lay assessors. RIBA juries assess design excellence irrespective of style, size or complexity, taking into account constraints of budget, brief and timetable while being sensitive to the economic and social contexts of each project.

Before any visits are made, every judge will read and digest the criteria and study all the submitted materials. They will then visit an agreed list of projects, looking in detail at all aspects, interior and exterior, listen to the story that both architect and client have to tell and interrogate them about the process and its results.

After discussion with fellow judges, they will arrive at their provisional decisions. Once all visits have concluded the jury will meet for a final time to decide the awards.