In 1979, Jay and Cindy Pritzker established the Pritzker Architecture Prize to inspire greater creativity in the profession and to heighten public awareness about architecture. Today, it is revered as one of the field’s highest honors. The prize, which includes a $100,000 grant, is awarded each year to a living architect whose body of work represents a long-standing, significant contribution to the built environment. www.pritzkerprize.com
| Year | Architect |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Philip Johnson |
| 1980 | Luis Barragán (Mexico) |
| 1981 | James Stirling (UK) |
| 1982 | Kevin Roche |
| 1983 | I.M. Pei |
| 1984 | Richard Meier |
| 1985 | Hans Hollein (Austria) |
| 1986 | Gottfried Boehm (Germany) |
| 1987 | Kenzo Tange (Japan) |
| 1988 | Gordon Bunshaft, Oscar Niemeyer (Brazil) |
| 1989 | Frank Gehry |
| 1990 | Aldo Rossi (Italy) |
| 1991 | Robert Venturi |
| 1992 | Alvaro Siza (Portugal) |
| 1993 | Fumihiko Maki (Japan) |
| 1994 | Christian de Portzamparc (France) |
| 1995 | Tadao Ando (Japan) |
| 1996 | Rafael Moneo (Spain) |
| 1997 | Sverre Fehn (Norway) |
| 1998 | Renzo Piano (Italy) |
| 1999 | Sir Norman Foster (UK) |
| 2000 | Rem Koolhaas (Netherlands) |
| 2001 | Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron (Switzerland) |
| 2002 | Glenn Murcutt (Australia) |
| 2003 | Jørn Utzon (Denmark) |
| 2004 | Zaha Hadid (UK) |
| 2005 | Thom Mayne |
| 2006 | Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Brazil) |
| 2007 | Sir Richard Rogers (UK) |
| 2008 | Jean Nouvel (France) |
| 2009 | Peter Zumthor (Switzerland) |
| 2010 | Kazuyo Sejima (Japan), Ryue Nishizawa (Japan) |
| 2011 | Eduardo Souto de Moura (Portugal) |
| 2012 | Wang Shu (China) |
Source: The Pritzker Architecture Prize