The National Building Museum recognizes exemplary achievements in the built environment through three annual award programs: the Vincent Scully Prize, the Honor Award, and the Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation.
VINCENT SCULLY PRIZE
The Vincent Scully Prize, established in 1999, is named for the esteemed professor who inspired so many across the building disciplines. Scully was the Sterling Professor Emeritus of the History of Art at Yale University and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Miami. For more than four decades, his teaching and scholarship profoundly influenced prominent architects, urban planners, and others.
The Prize recognizes excellence in practice, scholarship, or criticism in architecture, historic preservation, and urban design. The nomination and selection process for each year’s recipient resides within the Prize jury. The Museum participates in deliberations and may submit candidates, but it does not vote on finalists. Current jury members:
- Chair: Ellen Dunham-Jones, Professor, Director, Urban Design Program, Georgia Tech School of Architecture
- James Corner, FASLA, Founder and CEO, James Corner Field Operations
- Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Partner, DPZ/CoDesign
- Paul Goldberger, Architecture Critic, Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair
- Walter Hood, ASLA, Creative Director and Founder, Hood Design Studio
Past Recipients
| 2021: Mabel O. Wilson |
| 2019: Elizabeth Meyer, FASLA |
| 2018: Robert Campbell and Inga Saffron |
| 2017: Laurie Olin, FASLA |
| 2013: Joshua David and Robert Hammond |
| 2012: Paul Goldberger |
| 2011: William K. Reilly |
| 2010: Adele Chatfield-Taylor |
| 2009: Christopher Alexander |
| 2008: Robert A. M. Stern |
| 2007: Richard Moe |
| 2007: Witold Rybczynski / Read the transcript |
| 2006: Phyllis Lambert |
| 2005: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales / Read the transcript |
| 2005: His Highness the Aga Kahn / Read the transcript |
| 2002: Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown / Read the transcript |
| 2001: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Andres Duany |
| 2000: Jane Jacobs / Read the transcript |
| 1999: Vincent Scully |
HONOR AWARD
Bestowed at the Museum’s annual Gala since 1986, the Honor Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to our built heritage. Recipients are leaders who have defined our culture, developed our communities, and crafted our built environment. Individually, they have advanced our building arts and sciences. Collectively, their legacy is profound.
2021: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Join us on June 17 for a virtual celebration. Learn more.
Past Recipients
| 2019 | JBG SMITH and Washington Housing Initiative |
| 2018 | Madison Marquette and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington |
| 2017 | Brookfield Properties and the National Endowment for the Arts |
| 2016 | CoStar Group, DAVIS Construction, and Casey Trees |
| 2015 | The Rockefeller Foundation, STUDIOS Architecture, and Capital Bikeshare |
| 2014 | Mrs. Laura Bush and the National Trust for Historic Preservation |
| 2013 | Turner Construction Company |
| 2012 | Urban Land Institute |
| 2011 | Celebrating our Past, Building our Future |
| 2010 | A Salute to Civic Innovators: Perkins + Will U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon New Orleans Habitat Musicians Village Majora Carter |
| 2009 | A Salute to Visionaries in Sustainability: U.S. Green Building Council City of Chicago United Technologies Corporation |
| 2008 | The Associated General Contractors of America |
| 2007 | Related |
| 2006 | Clark Construction Group, LLC |
| 2005 | Forest City Enterprises |
| 2004 | General Services Administration |
| 2003 | Major League Baseball and The National Football League |
| 2002 | DuPont |
| 2001 | Michael D. Eisner and The Walt Disney Company |
| 2000 | Gerald D. Hines |
| 1999 | Harold W. McGraw Jr., Harold McGraw III, and The McGraw-Hill Companies |
| 1998 | Stephen and Riley Bechtel and The Bechtel Group |
| 1997 | Community Builders of Washington, D.C.: Morris Cafritz, Charles E. Smith, Charles A. Horsky, and Oliver T. Carr Jr. |
| 1996 | Cindy and Jay Pritzker |
| 1995 | Lady Bird Johnson |
| 1994 | James A. Johnson and Fannie Mae |
| 1993 | J. Carter Brown |
| 1992 | The Civic Leadership of Greater Pittsburgh |
| 1991 | The Rockefeller Family |
| 1990 | IBM Corporation |
| 1989 | Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan |
| 1988 | James W. Rouse |
| 1986 | J. Irwin Miller |
HENRY C. TURNER PRIZE FOR INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION
The prize, named after the founder of Turner Construction Company, recognizes an invention, an innovative methodology, and/or exceptional leadership by an individual or team of individuals in construction technology including construction techniques, innovations and practices, project management, and engineering design. The Turner Construction Company established an endowment in 2001 to support the Prize, which carries a cash award of $25,000.
Past Recipients
| SBP |
| discoverE |
| Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat |
| Department of Architecture Engineering of the Pennsylvania State University |
| Lean Construction Institute |
| Society of Women Engineers |
| Caterpillar, Inc. |
| Engineers without Borders |
| Charles H. Thornton |
| Gehry Partners and Gehry Technologies |
| Dr. Paul Teicholz |
| U.S. Green Building Council |
| Charles A. DeBenedittis |
| I.M. Pei |
| Leslie E. Robertson |