Recognized as the UK’s highest honor for architecture, the RIBA Royal Gold Medal for Architecture is approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence "either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture.", according to the organization. In 2024, the recognition was awarded for the first time to an African Woman, to the Ghanaian-Scottish architect, academic, and curator Lesley Lokko.
The RIBA Royal Gold Medal is practically an institution unto itself, having been awarded since 1848. Previous notable recipients include Pritzker Prize laurates Grafton Architects (2020 edition), Zaha Hadid (2016), Peter Zumthor (2013), and Norman Foster (1983). Since 1980, five women have won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal: Patricia Hopkins, Sheila O'Donnell, Zaha Hadid, and Grafton Architects founders Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara.
.jpg?1601304938 "Who Has Won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal?")
