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The Stirling Prize for the RIBA/Sunday Times Building of the Year is the UK's richest and most prestigious architectural prize. It is awarded annually to the architects of the building which has made the greatest contribution to British Architecture in the past year. Winners of the £20,000 prize must be RIBA members and the building may be anywhere in the European Union. The prize is named after the architect Sir James Stirling 1926-1992. It is sponsored to the tune of £20,000 by the Sunday Times.
The winner is arrived at via an exhaustive judging process and will have been visited by three separate panels of judges, each of which will contain one lay person. All entries are visited by a regional panel and the best 50 or so buildings receive RIBA Awards. These are displayed in an exhibition at the RIBA which this year runs from 9 November to 16 January. From these, following a second round of visits, are chosen the Category Award winners: the best housing, commercial, civic and community, health, education and conservation projects. These are the shortlist for the Stirling Prize and are visited by a separate. For 1998, a further building was called in by the jury - the British Library.
A book accompanies the awards. Architecture 98 is published by 'ellipsis' at £5.99.
The Stirling Prize is the final event in Architecture Week. Full details are available from www.archweek.co.uk
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