Two schools and three major museums, including in London, are among the outstanding buildings in the running for this year's Riba Stirling Prize - a shortlist described as "unique" in the award's history.

Clapham Manor Primary School in south-west London and Christ's College School in Guildford, Surrey, are vying with Oxford's Ashmolean Museum and Rome's bold new contemporary art museum Maxxi.

The Bateman's Row mixed-use development in Shoreditch, east London, and Neues Museum, Berlin, round off the shortlist for the £20,000 award.

Riba president Ruth Reed said the museums blossomed from the previous economic boom and may sadly come to be seen as "the end of an era".

She also feared that cuts could mean a prolonged interlude before such "exemplar" school buildings made the prestigious shortlist again.

In its 15th year, the Riba Stirling Prize is awarded to the architects of the best new European building which is "built or designed in Britain".

William Hill has placed striking labyrinth Maxxi as its 1/1 evens favourite to scoop the gong. The winner will be announced at London's Roundhouse on October 2 and broadcast live on BBC 2's The Culture Show.

Ms Reed said: "Unique in the history of the Riba Stirling Prize, three major museum buildings make up half of the list, showing us three very different ways of building and re-building museums and galleries.

"They are the fruits of the economic boom of the last decade and sadly may represent the end of an era.

"This is also the first year that two schools have been shortlisted for the prize.