The Cultural Landscape Foundation announces $100,000 International Landscape Architecture Prize

The Cultural Landscape Foundation in Washington D.C. just announced the biennial International Landscape Architecture Prize, as part of their long-term efforts to elevate the art and profession of landscape architecture and its practitioners. TCLF is aiming to establish the new prize to be on par with prestigious art accolades like the Pritzker Prize in architecture, the Praemium Imperiale, sculpture's Nasher Prize, and others.

Starting in 2021, the award will grant the recipient — who can be an individual, collaborative, or a team — a cash prize of $100,000 and two years of public engagement activities that increase the visibility of their work and the landscape architecture profession to a wider audience.

The prize is open to landscape architects, artists, architects, planners, urban designers, and others who have designed a significant body of landscape architecture projects. The winner will be chosen in a multi-layered process that includes a year-long nomination period, followed by the selection from a five-person jury that will comprise of esteemed landscape architects, artists, educators, designers, and others. The official jury and independent curator who will oversee the Prize will be announced in the coming months. Nominees for the prize will be evaluated by how their practice addresses social, environmental, cultural, and other challenges.

“Landscape architecture is one of the most complex and, arguably, the least understood art forms. It challenges practitioners to be design innovators often while spanning the arts and sciences in addressing many of the most pressing social, environmental, and cultural issues in contemporary society,” said TCLF Founder, President, and CEO Charles A. Birnbaum in a statement.

“We hope the Prize will provide not just recognition of exceptional people and projects but also promote a wider public discussion of the role of landscape architecture in life,” said Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes, who were lead donors for the award.

You can learn more about the prize here.