The 2018 Pritzker Prize will be announced tomorrow, on Wednesday, March 7th at 10 AM EST. Speculation surrounding who will take architecture's top honor this year has been going on for some time, with discussions quite active in our forum and elsewhere. After last year's stunner, in which three architects (a first!) from a relatively unknown practice took the prize, we are all left wondering what direction the 2018 jury will go in. Will they continue to move away from the starchitects (usually white and male) once favored by the prize, as they have in recent years? Will they continue to place a premium on those whose work addresses pressing social issues such as housing or the environment? And, will they once again praise collaboration by awarding multiple architects, or will it return, as is usually the case, to a solo prize?

Either way, while we wait for the results, it is fun to place some bets. The following is a list of architects that have a good shot at the historically, fairly unpredictable award—arrived at through factoring in popular opinion, the tastes of jury members, and the results of some online sleuthing. 

Bjarke Ingels

For the past few years, Bjarke Ingels has been considered a top, yet eye-roll-inducing, contender for the Prize. Despite being quite young, Ingels is an architect of international stature with an impressively, extensive portfolio of work. From his Amager Resource Center, a waste-to-energy plant that features a functioning ski-slope as a roof, to the affordable housing complexes in Copenhagen that first put him on the map, his projects, when best, are remarkably innovative in their approaches to issues of environmental and social responsibility. He certainly fits the current zeitgeist.

Bijoy Jain

Richard Rogers, a member of this year's jury, hinted in a recent interview that there were a lot of Indian and South American names being discussed. As far as architects from the Indian subcontinent go, Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai would be a natural choice. His work bridges the gap between contemporary modernism and vernacular construction, applying traditional Indian techniques and materials to his designs. He would be a similar choice to that of last year's, with a portfolio that is intensely regional and specific.

Vo Trong Nghia

The three newest additions to the Pritzker jury include Wang Shu, André Correa do Lago (the Brazilian ambassador to Japan), and Kazuyo Sejima. If these judicial newcomers are to reflect a certain international focus for this year’s Prize, then Ma Yansong of MAD Architects or Kengo Kuma would both be obvious choices. That said, the Pritzker has also leaned in recent years towards architects that have a strong social consciousness in their work, for which Vo Trong Nghia would be a more suitable candidate. With a practice based in Vietnam, his work is known equally for being forward-thinking and making a positive impact on society.

Diébedo Francis Kéré

Hot off the heels of his Serpentine pavilion, an honor that has often been a precursor to the Pritzker, Diébedo Francis Kéré has had an extremely buzzy year. He is known for his socially driven approach to architecture and his innovative construction strategies that combine modern engineering with traditional building techniques, particularly in regards to his projects in his home country of Burkina Faso. His firm has recently taken on some larger scale commissions, like the Burkina Faso National Assembly building currently in development, that are usually crucial in procuring architecture’s top honor. He has also collaborated with jury member Wang Shu in the past, so we know at least one voter is a fan.

Heneghan Peng

If the award were to go to a standalone woman this year, most people would place their bets on either Francine Houben or Jeanne Gang. Unfortunately, the far more likely scenario for a woman nabbing the award in 2018 is one in which she is recognized alongside her male partner(s) as was the case for Kazuyo Sejima and Carme Pigem. For this, Róisín Heneghan in the company of Shih-Fu Peng would be more than deserving. Heneghan Peng's Palestinian Museum, which finally opened this year, is triumphant enough a work to earn them the $100,000 prize alone; but beyond, their commission of a lifetime, the Grand Egyptian Museum within close sight of the pyramids, is finally set to open later this year.

We have also asked community members, who have correctly prophesied the Pritzker winner in our forums in the past, to place some bets:

outed (who predicted SANAA in 2010) thinks: I keep thinking Steven Holl is finally going to win the damn thing but I’m beginning to think he’s pissed someone off royally and it’s just not going to happen. But I’ll stick with Holl. He is way, way overdue. (If I had to go with a second option that’s more of a dark horse, I’m going to throw out a posthumous award to Charles Correa. Given who’s on the jury this year, it’s not out of the realm of possibility).

Evan Chakroff (who predicted Wang Shu in 2012) thinks: My gut reaction this year is: Kengo Kuma. With the Portland Japanese Garden and the recent New York Times profile he seems poised to jump into the US market full-force; and is perhaps at a sweet spot in his career for Pritzker jurors: popularity on the upswing, but before diluting his "project" with a ton of commercial commissions.

Jose J Pullutasig (who predicted RCR last year) thinks: Similar to last year's—although without RCR and Mansilla & Tuñon—Lacaton & Vassal and Selgascano are my top choices. Both practices have gone beyond social agendas and have developed engaging theoretical, practical and exemplary work. I’ll continue betting on both until one of them is recognized by the jury.