Every year, judging panels comprising distinguished architects, designers, engineers, journalists, and artists select the winners of the RIBA Bronze, Silver, and Dissertation Medals from entries submitted by schools of architecture worldwide.

Former panels have included David Adjaye, Bob Allies, Will Alsop, Julia Bolles-Wilson, Alexander Brodsky, Alison Brooks, Charlotte Skene Catling, David Chipperfield, Nigel Coates, Mark Cousins, Odile Decq, Nathalie de Vries, Harriet Harriss, Michael Hopkins, Francine Houben, Louisa Hutton, Eva Jiricna, Kari Jormakka, Hanif Kara, Denys Lasdun, Amanda Levete, Daniel Libeskind, Farshid Moussavi, Eric Parry, Cedric Price, Smiljan Radic, Jane Rendell, Ian Ritchie, Richard Rogers, Patrik Schumacher, Ken Shuttleworth, and Benedetta Tagliabue, to name a few.

In addition to assessing how the entries demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of the design process and in critical writing, the judges are asked to consider their architectural and intellectual ambition, and the extent to which they innovate.