The RIBA President's Medals Student Awards

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President’s Medals are considered the most prestigious and established awards in architectural education in the world. 

First awarded in 1836 as the RIBA Silver Medal for an architectural essay (and awarded from 1855 to ‘Measured Drawings’ produced by a talented graduate), this is the RIBA’s oldest award (preceding the Royal Gold Medal, which was established in 1848). The current format of the awards dates back to 1984, when the Institute created a Bronze Medal to reward design work produced during Part 1 while the Silver Medal was awarded for work produced at Part 2. In 2001, a Dissertation Medal was added to replace the Dissertation Certificate. Since its early days, the aim of the awards has been to promote excellence in the study of architecture, to reward talent and to encourage architectural debate worldwide. 

Each year the RIBA invites approximately 300 schools of architecture from over 65 countries to nominate design projects and dissertations produced by their students. Winners are announced in December at the annual President’s Medals ceremony at the RIBA headquarters in London where the Bronze, Silver and Dissertation Medals are presented to the winners by the RIBA President.