The 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize will not be announced in March, but at a later date, the Pritzker Foundation said this week.
The delay was shared after Tom Pritzker, vice president of the Pritzker Foundation, was named over a thousand times in the Jeffrey Epstein emails cache released by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 30.
The Pritzker Foundation did not say when the 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient will be announced. AN emailed the Pritzker Architecture Prize for comment.
Hyatt announced on February 16 that Tom Pritzker, a real estate scion worth $6.3 billion, would “retire” from his role as executive chairman of the Board of Directors for the Hyatt Hotels Corporation. News of his retirement followed revelations over Pritzker’s connections with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
“I have been a proud member of the Hyatt family since the beginning of Hyatt. As I said in my letter to the Board, it has been both an honor and one of the great experiences of my life to have contributed to Hyatt’s growth,” Pritzker noted in a February 16 press release. “Hyatt is well positioned for the future, and I have great confidence in Mark [Hoplamazian], our leadership team, and the Board as they continue to build on our strong foundation.”
On February 17 Pritzker said, in regard to his relationship with Epstein and Maxell, “I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner. I condemn the actions and the harm caused by Epstein and Maxwell and I feel deep sorrow for the pain they inflicted on their victims.”
Days after stepping down, on February 24, it came to light that Epstein tried to secure a venue for the Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremony in 2019, the year Arata Isozaki won.
In a statement shared with The New York Times, the Pritzker Prize affirmed its independence from Tom Pritzker.
“The jury, composed of internationally respected professionals from a range of disciplines, has always and will continue to conduct its work confidentially and free from external influence,” the Pritzker Foundation stated.
Epstein was invited multiple times to attend Pritzker Architecture Prize ceremonies since at least 2012, according to emails reviewed by AN. An email dated April 8, 2018, shows Epstein talking about legal counsel with Pritzker.
Pritzker remains director and vice president of the Pritzker Foundation; director and president of the Pritzker Family Philanthropic Fund; and director, chairman and president of the Hyatt Foundation, which established the Pritzker Architecture Prize.