The Royal Institute of British Architects has revealed the six buildings competing for this year's Stirling Prize, including a Maggie's cancer-care centre in Scotland, London's NEO Bankside housing, and the expansion of Manchester's Whitworth Gallery (+ slideshow).

The Stirling Prize is awarded by the RIBA in recognition of the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year.

The six shortlisted projects are Burntwood School by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris; Darbishire Place, Peabody housing by Niall McLaughlin Architects; Maggie's Lanarkshire by Reiach and Hall Architects; NEO Bankside by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; University of Greenwich, Stockwell Street Building by Heneghan Peng Architects; and The Whitworth by MUMA.

"Every one of the six shortlisted buildings illustrates why great architecture is so valuable – it has the power to delight, inspire and comfort us at all stages of our lives," said RIBA president Stephen Hodder, who himself won the prize in 1996 for his Centenary Building at the University of Salford.

Related content: see all of our Stirling Prize coverage

"The shortlisted projects are each surprising new additions to urban locations – hemmed in to a hospital car park, in-filling an east London square, completing a school campus – but their stand-out common quality is their exceptionally executed, crafted detail."

"From the simple palette of materials used on the Maggie's Centre, to the huge repeating facades of NEO Bankside, every detail on every building, both internally and externally, is well-executed," he continued.

"Not only are these the best new housing projects, school, university, cultural and health buildings in the country today, they are game-changers that other architects, clients and local authorities should aspire to."

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners is the only shortlisted firm to have previously won the prize – for its own Maggie's Centre in London.

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has been shortlisted three times but never won, while both Niall McLaughlin and Heneghan Peng were beaten in 2013 when a contemporary house inside a ruined 12th-century castle scooped the award.

The shortlist was selected from the 37 winners of the RIBA's national awards, which were revealed last month.

The Stirling Prize winner will be selected by a panel of judges including incoming RIBA president Jane Duncan, architects Peter Clegg and Steve Tompkins, and arts philanthropist Theresa Sackler.

It will be announced at a ceremony at the RIBA's London headquarters on 15 October.