Pritzker Prize 2021: Anticipating Architecture's Top Honor
The Pritzker Architecture Prize 2021 is approaching, with the winner set to receive $100,000 and a bronze medal inscribed with Vitruvian principles. Established in 1979 by the Pritzker family and organized by the Hyatt Foundation, the award honors architects who have made consistent contributions to humanity and the built environment. The 2020 ceremony was canceled due to pandemic restrictions, replaced by a video tribute to winners Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects, who also directed the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale. This year marks the last for Martha Thorne as Executive Director, a role she has held since 2005; she will be succeeded by Manuela Lucá-Dazio, former Organizational Manager of Visual Arts and Architecture at the Venice Biennale. Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, the 2016 laureate, will chair the jury. The prize is often called the 'Nobel of architecture.'
Key facts
- Pritzker Architecture Prize 2021 will award $100,000 and a bronze medal.
- The medal is inspired by Louis Sullivan's designs and inscribed with 'firmitas, utilitas, venustas'.
- The prize was established in 1979 by the Pritzker family and organized by the Hyatt Foundation.
- First winner was Philip Johnson; 2020 winners were Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara.
- 2020 ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19; a video tribute was produced instead.
- Martha Thorne steps down as Executive Director after 16 years.
- Manuela Lucá-Dazio will succeed Thorne; she previously worked at the Venice Biennale.
- Alejandro Aravena, 2016 winner, will chair the 2021 jury.
Entities
Artists
- Philip Johnson
- Yvonne Farrell
- Shelley McNamara
- Louis Sullivan
- Alejandro Aravena
- Martha Thorne
- Manuela Lucá-Dazio
Institutions
- Pritzker Architecture Prize
- Hyatt Foundation
- Grafton Architects
- Venice Biennale
- Biennale di Venezia