Which major architecture prize was Zaha Hadid the first woman to win?

Zaha Hadid was the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, receiving the honor in 2004.

Often described as architecture’s highest individual honor, the Pritzker Prize was established in 1979 by the Hyatt Foundation. Its jury recognized Hadid for her “unswerving commitment to modernism” and her influential, boundary-pushing design work.

Hadid’s win was a landmark in a profession where women had long been underrepresented among the most celebrated designers. It was also awarded for her body of work and architectural vision, not for one particular building. Kazuyo Sejima later became the second woman to win, sharing the 2010 prize with Ryue Nishizawa.

A common mix-up is with the RIBA Royal Gold Medal: Hadid became the first woman to receive that medal individually only in 2016. She also won the RIBA Stirling Prize twice, in 2010 and 2011.