RIBA International Prize: the Royal Institute of British Architects is launching its International Prize for the best new building in the world, with the inaugural 2016 ceremony to take place in London.

Open for entries today, the prize will be awarded to "the most significant and inspirational building of the year" according to the RIBA, and Dezeen is media partner.

Buildings of any type, size and budget by any qualified architect in any country will be eligible, if they have been completed in the past three years.

Entry information is available from today on the awards section of the RIBA's website.

British architect Richard Rogers will chair the grand jury for the prize.

"I'm delighted to lead the jury for the inaugural RIBA International Prize, and look forward to discovering how architecture is reacting to and resolving issues posed by the changing demands of a global community," said Rogers.

"We look forward to establishing the RIBA International Prize as a new standard by which to assess and promote design excellence on a global scale."

Joining Rogers will be Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi, founder of Amsterdam-based studio NLÉ – whose Makoko Floating School was named one of the London Design Museum's 2014 Designs of the Year – and the UK's Philip Gumuchdjian of Gumuchdjian Architects.

"This is the first time RIBA have opened their awards to any architect from any country," said Adeyemi. "I look forward to exploring how this helps us learn how architects worldwide are responding to the unique challenges and opportunities of their local geographies with resourceful and innovative solutions."

Jurors will be asked to consider not just the design of the building, but the impact it has had on users and the surrounding environment.

A shortlist of 20 structures will be revealed in autumn 2016, from which the RIBA's own group of judges will select a six-strong shortlist based on visits to the buildings.

The grand jury will then visit each of the final six buildings before choosing an overall winner, which will be announced at an event in London in December.

"It is our intention that the RIBA International Prize will uncover the world's most innovative and visionary architecture and spark local and global debates about the positive impact that well-designed buildings and places can have on their communities and environment," said RIBA president Jane Duncan.

The RIBA is responsible for the Stirling Prize, considered one of the top European architecture awards for a single building.

The International Prize replaces the RIBA's more limited Lubetkin Prize, which was only for buildings outside of the European Union by RIBA members and fellows. The Lubetkin was scraped in 2013.

This year, the RIBA also launched a rebrand of its award for a one-off UK house design, previously known as the Manser Medal.

The shortlist and winner of the new House of the Year prize, which would previously have been announced as part of the Stirling ceremony at the RIBA's London headquarters, was revealed via a four-part TV show on Channel 4.

It was won by the Flint House, a house clad in pieces of flint and designed for one of the world's richest families, by London studio Skene Catling de la Pena.

Although there are many architecture awards around the globe, there is only one other high-profile international prize for a single building – the World Architecture Festival's Building of the Year.

This year's WAF winner was The Interlace in Singapore by Ole Scheeren, a "vertical village" made up of a series of apartment blocks diagonally stacked in a honeycomb arrangement.