The award was founded in 1996, and is considered to be the most prestigious architecture award in the United Kingdom. The presentation ceremony has been televised by
Channel 4. Six shortlisted buildings are chosen from a long-list of buildings that have received a RIBA National Award. These awards are given to buildings showing "high architectural standards and substantial contribution to the local environment". In addition to the RIBA Stirling Prize, five other awards are given to buildings on the long-list. In 2015 they consisted of: the RIBA National Award, the RIBA Regional Award, the Manser Medal, the
Stephen Lawrence Prize and the RIBA Client of the Year Award. For years prior to 1996, the award was known as the "Building of the Year Award". In 2000 several
architects from
Scotland and
Wales made claims of
metropolitan bias after five out of seven designs shortlisted by judges were located within London. Critics described the list as "London-centric". The chairman of the judges in the contest rejected the claims, saying that the first Stirling Prize was awarded to a building in
Salford, Greater Manchester. On 30 September 2020, RIBA announced that the awards had been postponed until 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Judges selected the 2021 prize winner from the 2020 shortlist. ==Laureates and runners-up==