Melbourne Prize


The Melbourne Prize is awarded by a jury appointed by the Victorian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects to projects that have made a significant contribution to the civic life of Melbourne. It was first awarded in 1997 to Six Degrees Architects for the small bar Meyers Place.

2000 to 2009 Awards

The Sidney Myer Music Bowl upgrade by Gregory Burgess Architects was awarded the prize in 2002.
Federation Square by Lab Architecture Studio with Bates Smart won the award along with four other awards in 2003.
In 2004 it was awarded to Ashton Raggatt McDougall for Shrine of Remembrance Visitor Centre and Garden Courtyard. ARM again received the prize in 2006 for the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre redevelopment.
The 2005 prize was awarded to NH Architecture for the QV mixed use retail redevelopment between Swanston and Russell Streets in the Melbourne CBD.
Six Degrees Architects also collected the award for a second time in 2008 with their redevelopment of The Vaults on the Yarra River beneath Federation Square for use as their own offices and the Riverland bar. The 2008 Jury was Peter Crone, Alfred deBruyne and Mel Dodd.
Canada Hotel Redevelopment for student housing in Carlton, Melbourne by Hayball in 2009.

2010 to 2019 Awards

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre by joint venture architects, Woods Bagot and NH Architecture was awarded the 2010 Melbourne Prize in addition to the Victorian Architecture Medal, William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, Steel Architecture Award and the Award for Sustainable Architecture.
The 2011 prize was won by Cox Architects for AAMI Park, Melbourne's major rectangular stadium.
The Royal Children’s Hospital by Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart was awarded the prize in 2012.
In 2013 the prize was awarded to BKK Architects for their Lonsdale Street Redesign.
In addition to the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, the Dallas Brooks Community Primary School by McBride Charles Ryan won the 2014 Melbourne Prize.
ARM Architecture won a third Melbourne Prize and a second Melbourne Prize for the same project for additional work at the Shrine of Remembrance, Galleries of Remembrance, with Rush\Wright in 2015.
In 2016 the prize was awarded to the Saltwater Community Centre by Croxon Ramsay Architects. The Jury for 2016 was Tim Jackson, Peter Williams, Anna Maskiell.
In 2017 it was awarded jointly to the NGV architecture commission: Haven’t you always wanted…? by M@ STUDIO Architects and the Tanderrum Bridge by John Wardle Architects and NADAAA in collaboration. The 2017 jury was made up of James Staughton, Alison Nunn, Amy Muir.
Shortlisted nominees for the 2018 prize were; McAuley Community Services for Women by Hede Architects, the North Fitzroy Library and Community Hub by Group GSA, New Academic Street, RMIT University – Lyons with NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects and Maddison Architects, and Nightingale 1 apartments by Breathe Architecture. The 2018 Melbourne Prize jury was Shelley Penn, Simon Knott, Tania Davidge.
Shortlisted nominees for the 2019 prize were: Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal — Cox Architecture with Aspect Studios, Parliament of Victoria Members’ Annexe – Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design
Private Women’s Club – Kerstin Thompson Architects, South Melbourne Primary School – Hayball, and The Club Stand – Bates Smart. The 2019 Melbourne Prize jury was Jane Williams, Alix Smith, and Stefano Scalzo.

Recipients by year