The LIT Lighting Design Awards are officially open for submissions, inviting the world’s most innovative lighting designers to be part of its 2025 celebration of excellence. This distinguished event is renowned for recognizing the pinnacle of creativity and innovation in the lighting design industry. The program boasts an impressive array of categories, with 31 in Architectural Lighting Design, 15 in Entertainment Lighting Design, and 44 in Lighting Product Design.

In 2024, the program received over 800 submissions from 58 countries, showcasing a breathtaking spectrum of design. Notable winners included Studio ZNA, led by Zerlina Hughes, who received the top honor in Architectural Lighting Design for their work on Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Takahiro Matsuo of Lucent won in Entertainment Lighting Design for The Creation, a dazzling installation featuring 20,000 suspended acrylic spheres. In Lighting Product Design, Evgenii Vetlugin and Eduard Bochanov of Pipe Lighting GmbH were recognized for their innovative, eco-friendly LED system designed for film sets. Each year, the LIT Lighting Design Awards honor a visionary lighting designer with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2024, this prestigious accolade was awarded to Allen Lee Hughes, a pioneer whose five-decade career has profoundly influenced lighting design in theatre, opera, and dance. The 2024 Spotlight Prize recognizes the “Brighten the Future of Gaza’s Children” initiative, highlighting the positive impact lighting can have beyond design.

“At the LIT Lighting Design Awards, we believe light has the power to transform everything,” shared Program Director, Astrid Hébert. “It’s about designs that make a real difference, leaving a lasting mark on the world. We’re excited to see the bold, creative ideas shaping the future of lighting and sustainability. If you’re ready to share your vision, create change, and be part of something bigger, this is your moment. Submit your design and let your light shine!”

The 2025 jury, comprising 35 esteemed designers, lighting experts, academics, and media representatives, will select the winners in each category in November 2024. Past jurors have included industry leaders such as Sooner Routhier, CEO of The Playground, Roland Greil from Roland Greil & The Black Project, Emmy Award Winner Peter Morse, and Randy Reid, Editor at Designing Lighting (dl), among others.

To ensure winners receive the recognition they deserve, the LIT Lighting Design Awards has partnered with global media like V2com, D5mag.com, and DesignWanted. This collaboration guarantees extensive international publicity for the awarded projects. Additionally, winners will have their work featured in the annual Book of Design, receive the coveted LIT Lighting Design Awards certificate and badge of achievement, and enjoy a year-round profile in the LIT Awards Online Directory. Participating in the awards offers invaluable learning opportunities, allowing companies to benchmark their work against industry peers and gain insights for future projects.

To encourage early submissions, a 10% Early Bird discount is available until April 30th, 2025. For more information and to submit your entries, visit litawards.com. Illuminate your brilliance—be part of the LIT Lighting Design Awards 2025!

Pipe Lighting GmbH has introduced a fresh approach to film lighting with their inflatable LED fixtures. Founded in 2021 by Eduard Bochanov and Evgenij Vetlugin, the company aimed to address the practical challenges of traditional lighting setups. Their solution, Pipe Lighting, is a lightweight, portable, and sustainable lighting system that delivers high-quality performance while reducing environmental impact. This innovative design earned them the Lighting Product Design of the Year 2024 award at the LIT Lighting Design Awards.

By using air-filled shells and integrated diffusers, Pipe Lighting has created a modular system that is easy to transport, quick to set up, and more efficient than conventional lighting options. In this interview, Eduard discusses the inspiration behind the company, the technical innovations of their products, and their vision for the future of film lighting.

Eduard Bochanov

Can you tell us about the background of Pipe Lighting? How was it founded, and what is your personal design philosophy?

The company was established in 2021 by two experts in film lighting. Recognizing a need for lighting fixtures that combine professional advantages—such as lightweight construction and high output—with exceptional design, we developed the concept of inflatable LED lighting devices. PipeLighting is dedicated to revolutionizing professional lighting solutions for the film and media industries. We strive to deliver innovative, lightweight, and versatile lighting systems that empower creators to achieve their vision with ease and efficiency. Guided by a design philosophy rooted in user-centricity, our products are meticulously crafted to balance functionality, durability, and aesthetics, ensuring seamless integration into creative workflows. We prioritize adaptability, enabling professionals to tackle diverse challenges on set with confidence

What lighting challenges did you encounter while working on film sets, and how did they inspire your design?

In the recent past, film lighting was often bulky and complex. Lighting a scene required a truckload of equipment, significant setup time, and a larger team for installation. This was a technical inspiration. Besides that, we noticed that lighting fixtures sometimes literally played a role in cinematography and photography, such as in “behind the scenes” shoots or advertisements. This inspired us to combine a sleek, modern design with professional-grade technical features.

What problem does the air inside the shell solve, and how did you engineer this solution?

The air inside the lighting fixture inflates the shell (housing) of the lamp head, giving it its end shape. Different form factors of the interchangeable lamp head models enable creators to select the most suitable option for a scene or combine them into various configurations.

Pipe Lighting

How does the diffuser built into the shell compare in quality and performance to traditional external diffusers?

Finding the right diffusor textile for the lamp head was quite a challenge, but we have found the best possible performing textile that can be compared to the traditional textiles or gels for diffusing the light. 

How did you ensure effective heat dissipation without the need for additional radiators or fans?

To ensure efficient heat dissipation without additional heat sinks or fans, we distributed the LEDs as widely as possible over the large surface area of the shell—this applies to both bicolor and colored LEDs. We operated the diodes at the highest possible current within their temperature limits, allowing them to function effectively at the upper threshold of their temperature capabilities

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the development of Pipe Lighting, and how did you solve them?

We needed to choose the correct balance of a variety of parameters: the weight, the output, the quality of light, and a great design. Through many weeks of R&D and many samples and modeling, we have found the perfect combination for what we wanted as a product.

What does winning the “Entertainment Lights” prize at the LIT Awards mean to your team?

Winning the LIT Awards prize is an incredible honor for us, especially as a young and emerging company. Being acknowledged at this stage of our journey is a testament to the hard work and passion that drive our team, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the future of professional lighting solutions.

Do you have any practical tips for lighting designers or film crew members who work with lighting setups?

Prioritize flexibility and efficiency in setups. Plan scenes in advance and use lightweight, portable equipment like inflatable LED lights to save time. Opt for high-quality diffusers for soft, even lighting, and choose versatile fixtures for quick reconfigurations. Consider sleek designs for fixtures that may appear on camera, and do not forget about safety!

Pipe Lighting

What are your plans for the future of Pipe Lighting and its role in the industry?

We are committed to innovation, recently launching the RGBWW full-color version of our product. The plan for the future of Pipelighting is to improve the efficiency of our simple and easy-to-use modular and interchangeable lighting system that will allow fixtures to be transformed, combined with each other, be interchangeable, and take their control to a new level. Staying ahead of competitors, we will continue to develop smart and versatile solutions to meet evolving film lighting needs.  Our goal is to lead the industry with groundbreaking technology and creative solutions.

Vaida Atkocaityte-Dalisanskiene, a talented designer from Vilnius, Lithuania, earned the Lighting Product Design title at the LIT Lighting Design Awards 2024 for her innovative MOOD light compositions. Designed as part of her master’s thesis at Vilnius Academy of Arts, her work reflects her deep understanding of the emotional and transformative power of light. Working under the guidance of Professor Saulius Jusionis, Vaida sought to create a piece that merges functionality, sustainability, and creativity, allowing users to customize their spaces with dynamic light compositions.

In this interview, Vaida opens up about the inspiration behind MOOD, her experience at the Academy, and how her journey as both a designer and a student shaped her award-winning project.

Vaida Atkočaitytė-Dališanskienė. Vaida Atkočaitytė-Dališanskienė. Photo Credit: Vilma Budryte Photography // MOOD, photo by Vaidotas Darulis.

What led you to focus on lighting design, and why is it so important in your work?

My focus on lighting design comes from its ability to inspire and transform spaces and objects. Light is more than functional; it creates atmosphere, highlights what’s important, and can even conceal things. I believe light can have both positive and negative effects if used at the wrong time, with the wrong color or intensity. It plays a crucial role in architecture, interior design, and photography—bad lighting can make even the best food look unappetizing.

As an interior designer and architect, I believe lighting is essential to any interior. It impacts people both physically and emotionally, and I design layered lighting that adapts to different scenarios, enhancing the experience for those living in the space and giving each area its unique character. I’ve been drawn to it since high school, 16 years ago, when I created a table lamp from paper clips, instinctively understanding its importance.

What was the vision behind MOOD, and where did the inspiration for its concept originate?

The vision behind the MOOD luminaire was to create a light composition as art that complements the interior with color. Lithuanian interior designers often mention that Lithuanians are afraid of colors, fearing they will quickly tire of a chosen hue. However, I really enjoy colors. I wanted to create art that would be dynamic and never boring, allowing the colors to change with the interior, mood, and daily rhythm. The inspiration for this lamp came from colored stained glass windows in churches, which, depending on the presence or absence of sunlight and its position in the interior, create changing color combinations. For my project, I refined the key concepts of light, color, and transformation. When designing the lamp, I envisioned a graphic, simple design inspired by Piet Mondrian’s Red, Blue, and Yellow. Unlike Mondrian’s work, the black lines in my lamp form a grid that allows the colors to blend and change freely.

How does MOOD allow users to create their very own personalized compositions of colors and shapes using light?

The MOOD luminaire features a flexible light source, interchangeable colored parts, and a milled base. Users can choose the colors of the parts based on their mood, season, or personal preference and then place them into the base to create their desired composition. The position of the light source affects the size and intensity of the colored shadows, allowing the user to change the composition’s look. Colors can also blend together through the light, creating new hues. By adding or changing just one part, the entire mood and effect of the composition can transform. Each user becomes an artist, crafting a unique light display based on their own feelings.

What influenced your choice of materials for MOOD, and how do they enhance both its visual and functional qualities? 

As mentioned earlier, stained glass windows in churches inspired me to find a translucent, colored material. Unlike traditional glass, it needed to be lightweight, strong, indestructible, and unbreakable. Since the lamp’s components would be changed as needed and as often as the user desired, safety became a priority. Organic glass met all these requirements.

Another key component is the base, into which the colored glass pieces are inserted. To make the light visible, I needed a white background that would remain visually appealing even when the light was off. I chose a white-painted open-pore wood veneer with a black line pattern to hold the colored pieces. For the base material, I wanted a consistent color throughout its thickness when milled, so black MDF panels were perfect. In selecting materials, I focused not only on technical properties but also on sustainability and recyclability, which are crucial today.

MOOD, photo by Vaidotas Darulis.

How can MOOD influence the user’s emotions and align with their biological rhythms, like the day-night cycle?

The MOOD lamp can influence the user’s emotions and align with their biological rhythms through the psychology of color and light. Each color has a unique effect on our emotions—some colors are calming, while others are stimulating. These colors, with their distinct wavelengths and energy, impact our bodies, thoughts, feelings, and actions. The perception of color can also be influenced by culture, experience, and mindset, making the lamp adaptable to different user needs.

Additionally, the MOOD lamp incorporates the latest trends in human-centric lighting, which focuses on well-being. Studies show that different light temperatures—warm, white, and cold—affect our biological rhythms. Cold tones, for example, can energize the body, aid concentration, and stimulate the brain, making them ideal for daytime use. Warm tones, on the other hand, create a sense of relaxation and comfort, mimicking the natural sunset, which helps prepare the body for rest in the evening. By adjusting the lamp’s color details and lighting, users can better align their environment with their internal rhythms and emotional needs throughout the day.

What challenges did you encounter during the design and development of MOOD, and how did you overcome them?

The main challenges in designing MOOD were technical, but they ultimately helped me find the best visual solution. My initial idea of connecting organic glass components like a puzzle proved difficult, as the parts slipped, and gluing them caused further damage. These failures led me to simplify the design by reducing the number of components and introducing a base that not only holds the colored pieces in place but also completes the design with a black graphic grid and controls the composition. After determining the final shape of the luminaire, another challenge was adjusting the thickness of the milled grooves to securely hold the organic glass components.

How do you feel about winning the LIT Awards for Mood Lighting, and what does this recognition mean for you as a designer?

Winning the “Emerging Lighting Designer of the Year 2024” award has inspired me to continue my work in lighting design. This award is proof to me that I am on the right path. I am truly happy with this achievement and feel honored and appreciated by such prestigious recognition from a professional lighting design committee. I am deeply grateful to the organizers and the committee for valuing my work. This award is especially important to me because lighting is my passion, and it brings something magical to all of us.

MOOD, photo by Vaidotas Darulis.

Did being a student at Vilnius Academy of Arts support your creative process, or did it come with any limitations you had to navigate?

Being a student at Vilnius Academy of Arts definitely supported my creative process. It pushed me to find time to experiment with light and focus on my creativity despite the challenge of balancing my master’s thesis with raising six-month-old twins. I am deeply grateful to the lecturers at the Klaipėda Faculty for their support and the freedom they gave me throughout this journey. I never felt constrained; instead, I felt encouraged and confident that my project would reflect the rich experiences I brought with me after completing two bachelor’s degrees in interior design and architecture, as well as gaining work experience with various projects before pursuing my Master’s in Visual Design.

What are your aspirations for the future, and what kind of projects do you hope to work on next?

Inspired by this award, I am motivated to dedicate more time to designing lighting fixtures that offer a unique experience for both interiors and their occupants, as I believe light is more than just a means of seeing in the dark. As an interior designer with a strong focus on lighting, I aim to continue creating spaces with exceptional lighting tailored to the specific needs of each environment, addressing both aesthetic and functional aspects. Moving forward, I hope to work on projects that allow me to explore these elements in greater depth and push the boundaries of lighting design.

VIEW ALL WINNERS.

Studio ZNA, a London-based creative lighting design practice founded by Zerlina Hughes in 2006, has earned recognition at the 2024 LIT Lighting Design Awards titled Architectural Lighting Design of the Year. Known for their expertise in museum and gallery design, high-end retail, commercial and residential projects, as well as theatre, opera, and film, the studio combines artistic sensitivity with technical innovation to shape exceptional spatial experiences.

Their award-winning project, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, hosted at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is a testament to Studio ZNA’s approach. While Zerlina Hughes directs the practice, this project saw a close collaboration with team member Saumya Monga, who played a pivotal role in realizing its vision. Together, they illuminated the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the legacy of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, creating an atmosphere that harmonized with the designer’s timeless elegance.

The exhibition’s lighting design unfolds as a journey, reflecting the evolution of Chanel’s iconic designs. From the crisp morning light to the golden glow in the perfume room and the shifting dappled effects of the eveningwear section, Studio ZNA’s work offers visitors a sensory narrative that enhances their experience. Sustainability remained at the forefront, with the reuse of museum stock, fixture upgrades, and future-proofing techniques integrated seamlessly into the project.

In this exclusive interview, Zerlina Hughes and Saumya Monga, winners of the LIT Lighting Design Award, discuss their creative collaboration, the challenges of designing for culturally significant exhibitions, and the importance of lighting in shaping audience engagement. They offer insights into the creative process behind Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto and share their aspirations for the future of Studio ZNA.

Zerlina Hughes and Saumya Monga

Can you tell us about Studio ZNA and about your approach to lighting design?

Studio ZNA is a creative lighting design practice. We offer a specialist understanding of light and form. The dynamic nature of light, natural and artificial; its ability to transform and maximize space, highlight texture, stimulate color, and evoke mood informs our work and stimulates our design process.

Can you tell us about Studio ZNA and about your approach to lighting design?

Studio ZNA is a creative lighting design practice. We offer a specialist understanding of light and form. The dynamic nature of light, natural and artificial; its ability to transform and maximize space, highlight texture, stimulate color, and evoke mood informs our work and stimulates our design process.

Can you tell us about the vision behind this project? How did it come to be, and how did you apply it to this specific setting?

Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto is the first UK exhibition dedicated to the work of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, charting the establishment of the House of CHANEL and the evolution of her iconic design style. We were excited by the opportunity to deliver a fresh, elegant, dynamic presentation of this superlative collection with the creative teams of Storey Studio, The Bon Ton, and Luke Halls Studio. The lighting design was key to enabling visitors to appreciate the objects with their exquisite details, forms, textures and materiality in close viewing – achieved at low conservation light levels whilst also creating a wider luminous, elegant layered lightscape within the exhibition world they inhabit. Inspired by Storey Studio’s approach, we proposed the visitors experience the objects under subtly shifting light treatments, moving through the sections from morning, noon, afternoon, and dusk to night time in both exterior and interior, rural and urban contexts. At times, this was abstracted, for example, in the entrance sequences with fresh, crisp morning light, and at the ending, in the perfume room, where we created an effect of beams of light passing through a gold liquid perfume bottle. At other times, the lighting was more suggestive, as in the evening wear section, where elegantly shifting dappled light supports the thematic narrative and also evokes moods of contemplation and wonder. The exhibition holds 200 hundred objects of fashion, textiles, accessories, and photography.  Such sensitive works require careful choreography. We worked with the designers to create an exciting and varied visual journey throughout the show. We used light to introduce dynamism to the display, with AV synchronization and sequenced moments that ranged from subtle evocation to full fashion drama.

Photo Credits: Thomas Adank

With 200 objects on display, how did you manage to create a sense of coherence while ensuring each section of the exhibition maintained its own unique atmosphere?

We created different moods for each of the 8 sections set out by the curatorial team but inspired by the Chanel brand; we kept the vision cohesive by using a very restricted pallet. We used only tones of light rather than introducing any colored light. Working from 2700 to 4000K, we utilized dynamic white lighting to subtly shift and change throughout the exhibition journey. We illuminated the objects consistently with a key light of 3000K, and then ambient and fill light would respond to the particular scenography and type of content, i.e., eveningwear, daywear, etc.

The lighting in the perfume room evoking beams of light passing through liquid gold, can you describe the process of designing such an effect?

We sketched different approaches on paper and then prototyped options at a one-to-one scale in the studio. We knew that it would be a reflected light that would softly disperse around the space. The equipment creating the effect needed to be concealed, so we had to consider the sightlines and the mounting position very carefully. We initially tested a bespoke mirror ball with a more fractured surface but found a large faceted octagon shape produced more extended effects. We trialed mirrors and metals but discovered that metallic foil of gold and silver, scrunched and then applied to the surface, produced a more liquid effect. We used mini framing projectors from 4 sides to control the beam to the specific surface and applied dmx control so we could sequence a changing luminosity. We also specified a rotating plate so that the reflected imagery had a dynamism as sunlight might pass through a golden liquid, perfume.  The speed of rotation was also dmxed controlled so we could choreograph the imagery and movement.

How did your collaboration with Storey Studio and other designers influence the lighting strategy?

It was a fantastic collaboration with Storey Studio from inception to completion. They are such talented designers who really value the significance of light in the delivery of their scenographic worlds. We exchanged thoughts, inspiration, sketches, and technical drawings to deliver a fully integrated vision to show the Chanel collection at its very best. Similarly, the Bon Ton created a very elegant graphic hierarchy. We worked closely with them to deliver the technical details of backlighting and cover lighting of the text, which created a very chic, shadow-free, fully accessible graphic language.  With Luke Halls vídeo and Coda to Coda’s soundscape, we synchronized the lighting with their content to create a fully cohesive experience.

What were the main challenges you faced in this project, and how did you overcome them?

Lighting for sensitive objects such as textiles at a maximum of 50 lux is always challenging, and with 200 objects, we needed to consider the visitor journey, allowing the eye moments to refresh and rest. We designed a layered luminous scenography where the objects were wrapped in a layer of light, which, whilst appearing luminous, was actually diffused and reflected, therefore limiting direct exposure. Key lighting on the textiles at 40 lux was used to render detail and texture. The atmospheric and ambient light further elevated this sense of wonder and light.

Can you explain how sustainability influenced your choices in this project?

Where possible, we reuse all stock available in the museum’s lighting stores. Where new items are required, we ensure that they are installed in such a way that they can be de-installed without damage and then cataloged for reuse in future installations. As part of our specification, we also upgraded some older track fittings with replacement light engines: we kept the fitting bodies and lenses and specified high color rendering chips in the replacement light engines. Thus, the wasteful discarding of the lighting hardware was avoided. The obsolete component parts then re-enter the chain for re-cycling.

What role do you believe lighting plays in shaping the way visitors connect themselves with fashion exhibitions like this one?

We approach our lighting design as a very narrative-driven medium. It supports the messaging of the exhibition by focusing on the content, the skill of the design and craft, and the meticulous detailing on display. But it also works in a more sensory way: it can induce mood and provoke emotion, inspire wonder, inject drama and jeopardy. It can help guide the visitor into intimate moments of viewing and also invite collective sharing, supporting a dialogue between the collection, its people, and the public in the exhibition space.

Photo Credit: Thomas Adank

What does winning the LIT Award for “Fashion Design Lighting” mean for Studio ZNA? 

We are so thrilled to be awarded this prestigious accolade. It is wonderful to witness the public enjoying the fruits of the collective creative team’s work, but lighting can often be overlooked. Whilst beautiful light can play a subtle supporting role in this instance, we feel the lighting was an active ingredient of the exhibition’s successful delivery, and we are delighted to have this recognized by the lighting experts in our sector on the LIT awards panel.

Can you tell us about any other projects you are currently working on or what the future might bring to Studio ZNA?

We are currently working on the new location of the Fashion Museum Bath to light the new permanent home for its superlative collection. We are working on two Museums in Sarawak, Malaysia, one about to be completed with final tweaks onsite and the other at the concept stage. It is hugely exciting to work with both local and international teams. We are also delighted that this coming year, the new permanent collection galleries for the brand new built V&A East museum will open, becoming the centerpiece of this new cultural quarter at the former Olympic site. We are also thrilled to be lighting the David Bowie Centre, a unique, dedicated archival space for exhibition and research in the V&A’s cutting-edge archival building, V&A Storehouse.

VIEW ALL WINNERS.

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2024 Winners Revealed and Theater Lighting Icon Allen Lee Hughes Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award.

This year’s awards celebrate the creative brilliance of designers who have pushed the boundaries of lighting design, transforming spaces and performances with their visionary work. In addition to recognizing these exceptional projects, the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Allen Lee Hughes, a pioneering figure in lighting design whose five-decade career has influenced the worlds of theatre, opera, and dance. Hughes’ work has set a global standard for lighting design, and this recognition highlights his enduring impact on the industry.

The LIT Lighting Design Awards announced the winners of their 8th edition, celebrating outstanding achievements in lighting design across diverse categories. With over 800 submissions from 58 countries, the awards showcased groundbreaking innovation, creativity, and sustainability. A jury of 35 esteemed professionals, including architects, interior designers, academics, and media representatives, evaluated the entries, recognizing exceptional contributions to the field.

Studio ZNA, led by Zerlina Hughes, received the top honor in Architectural Lighting Design for Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The lighting design mirrored themes of time and texture, enhancing the exhibit’s narrative. Takahiro Matsuo of Lucent was awarded in Entertainment Lighting Design for The Creation, a dazzling installation featuring 20,000 suspended acrylic spheres illuminated to evoke the origins of the universe. In Lighting Product Design, Evgenii Vetlugin and Eduard Bochanov of Pipe Lighting GmbH were recognized for an innovative, eco-friendly LED system designed for film sets, combining portability with high efficiency.

In the Emerging Designer categories, Vaida Atkocaityte-Dalisanskiene from Vilnius Academy of Arts won in Lighting Product Design with MOOD, a modular lamp that allows users to create light compositions reflective of emotions and daily rhythms crafted with sustainable materials. David Yang and Margo Majewska from the California College of the Arts stood out in Lighting Design with Light in Motion, a gallery installation inspired by Southwest canyons, blending dramatic contrasts and ambient effects to immerse visitors in a naturalistic lightscape. Both Emerging Designers will be awarded a cash prize of CHF 1,000 and a 6-month mentorship through the Silhouette Awards program.

Astrid Hébert, Director of the LIT Lighting Design Awards, said, “With over 800 submissions this year and our 10th anniversary coming up, it’s exciting to see how lighting design continues to transform spaces and inspire change. Honoring Allen Lee Hughes for his exceptional career is a celebration of his immense influence and the lasting impact he’s had on the industry.”

Other standout projects included Nebula by Patrizia Volpato Srl, an exquisite artisan glass-blown hanging light, and Whiz 2.0 Bi-directional by Meteor Lighting, a sophisticated asymmetric indirect floodlight. CMA Lighting Design‘s Silk Court Apartment and Kabluka Light & Digital Sculptures’ lighting installation “The Soul” also gained recognition. L’Observatoire International’s Coqodaq demonstrated excellence in bar and restaurant lighting, while China Pavilion of 2023 Venice Biennale by Brandston Partnership Inc. was one of the winners in the “Visitor Experience & Museum Exhibition” category.  Licht Kunst Licht AG was honored for their work on Casals Forum – Music Quarter, Kronberg, blending cultural heritage with modern lighting techniques. dpa Lighting Consultants transformed Masala Zone, Piccadilly Circus, London with innovative bar and restaurant lighting and Eleftheria Deko & Associates Lighting Design brought history to life with Temple of Poseidon, Sounion, a masterpiece in cultural and heritage lighting, amongst others.

Each year, the LIT Lighting Design Awards honor a visionary lighting designer with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2024, this prestigious accolade will be awarded to Allen Lee Hughes, a pioneer whose five-decade career has profoundly influenced lighting design in theatre, opera, and dance. His artistry and technical expertise have set a gold standard, inspiring generations of designers and elevating the field’s global reputation.

Hughes’ remarkable career spans Broadway, off-Broadway, and world-renowned performing arts companies. He has designed lighting for twelve Broadway productions, earning four Tony Award nominations, including for Once on This Island (1990), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2012), and A Soldier’s Play (2020). His work seamlessly combines technical precision with emotional depth, enhancing the storytelling without overshadowing the performers.

In addition to his Broadway success, Hughes has worked with companies like the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada. He also serves as an Associate Arts Professor in Design for Stage & Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where he shares his expertise and mentors the next generation of lighting designers. Hughes has received numerous awards, including the USITT Distinguished Achievement Award (2003) and the Michael Merritt Award (1997). His legacy also includes the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship, which promotes diversity in the theatre industry. The LIT Lighting Design Awards Lifetime Achievement Award is a fitting recognition of his exceptional contributions to lighting design.

Allen Lee Hughes commented on receiving the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, saying, “Thank you so much for this LIT Awards lifetime achievement award. It is great to have recognition for some fifty-six years of professional work. The award means a great deal to me and all of my many collaborators. Over the years, I have attempted to help tell hundreds of stories through my work as a lighting designer. There is a glorious feeling when we are rewarded with an audience that reaps pleasure and knowledge from our work. I appreciate you giving the efforts public attention.”

To discover the full list of LIT Lighting Design Awards 2024 winners and learn more about their outstanding work, please visit litawards.com/winners. These exceptional designers are shaping the future of lighting and continue to inspire innovation across the globe.

The LIT Lighting Design Awards are widely known for recognizing outstanding achievements and advancements in lighting design. They showcase and celebrate professionals whose work has significantly influenced and shaped the industry, giving them a platform that supports the artists and the lighting design community as a whole. Each year, the Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual who has made immeasurable contributions to the field over the years with exceptional technical skills and visionary design. In 2024, the award will be given to Allen Lee Hughes, a lighting designer whose work in theatre, opera, and dance has profoundly impacted the lighting design world for over five decades.

Allen Lee Hughes, born in Washington, D.C., developed an early passion for theatre. He discovered his love for lighting and stage design while studying at the Catholic University of America, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. He later pursued a Master’s in Fine Arts at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, specializing in Design for Stage and Film. Hughes eventually joined the Tisch faculty, where he continues to teach and mentor aspiring designers. His dedication to education was recognized in 2016 when he received the David Payne Carter Award for Teaching Excellence.

Hughes’ professional career began in regional theatres across the U.S. Eventually, it brought him to New York, where he worked at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center Theater and Playwrights Horizons before making his mark on Broadway. Since 1983, Hughes has designed lighting for twelve Broadway shows, including the original production of Once on This Island in 1990, which earned him a Tony Award nomination. His lighting for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2012) and A Soldier’s Play (2020) also garnered Tony nominations. Other notable accolades include the Joseph Maharam Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for his work on K2. Hughes’ lighting often combines technical precision with a deep sense of thematic storytelling, as seen in A Soldier’s Play, where his lighting helps convey complex themes of racial identity and conflict without overshadowing the actors’ performances. His Broadway portfolio also includes Home, Our Town, Clybourne Park, Mule Bone, Strange Interlude, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, and Quilters.

Beyond Broadway, Hughes’ lighting designs have graced some of the most respected companies in the world, including the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada, as well as the Pilobolus Dance Theatre and Eliot Feld. His work extends to theatres across the U.S., including the McCarter Theatre, Seattle Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, Hartford Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Steppenwolf Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and the Alliance Theatre.

In 1990, Zelda Fichandler, founding director of Arena Stage, established the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship and Internship Program in his honor. This initiative promotes diversity in the theatre industry by offering mentorship and training to underrepresented individuals. Over the years, the fellowship has mentored more than 700 emerging professionals, contributing significantly to a more inclusive industry.

Hughes’ achievements have been recognized by numerous awards, including the USITT Distinguished Achievement Award in Lighting Design (2003), the Michael Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration (1997), and the National Black Theatre Festival’s Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design Award (2015). In 2020, he was honored as the second-ever recipient of the Henry Hewes Ming Cho Lee Award for Lifetime Achievement, joining an exclusive group of lighting design legends.

“Thank you so much for this LIT Awards lifetime achievement award. It is great to have recognition for some fifty-six years of professional work. The award means a great deal to me and all of my many collaborators. Over the years, I have attempted to help tell hundreds of stories through my work as a lighting designer. There is a glorious feeling when we are rewarded with an audience that reaps pleasure and knowledge from our work. I appreciate you giving the efforts public attention.”

– Allen Lee Hughes

The LIT Lighting Design Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award is a fitting tribute to Allen Lee Hughes, a designer whose career has been marked by exceptional contributions to the lighting design industry. With four Tony Award nominations, two Helen Hayes Award wins, and a vast body of work spanning theatre, opera, and dance, Hughes has helped shape modern lighting design and created moments of magic that have moved and inspired audiences worldwide. His passion for lighting design and his commitment to the art form make him an iconic figure in the industry. Ensuring such talent receives the recognition it deserves is precisely the mission of the LIT Lighting Design Awards.

Photo: OHIO STATE MURDERS by Adrienne Kennedy; directed by Kenny Leon With Audra McDonald Bryce Pinkham Mister Fitzgerald Lizan Mitchell Abigail Stephenson Dress rehearsal photographed: Thursday, November 10, 2022; at James Earl Jones Theatre ; Photograph: © 2022 Richard Termine. PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine

On August 15th, the LIT Lighting Design Awards hosted its Brazilian winners’ ceremony as part of the LEDforum.24, held at the Tivoli Mofarrej Conference Hotel in São Paulo, Brazil. This prestigious event celebrated outstanding achievements in lighting design and brought together a wide array of professionals from the industry.

LEDforum is nationally and internationally renowned for its high-caliber lectures and activities, featuring leading figures from the Brazilian and global lighting communities. The forum provided an excellent platform for exchanging knowledge and the latest advancements in lighting technology. Attendees included lighting designers, architects, product designers, urban planners, landscape designers, academics, developers, and lighting solutions providers from various Brazil and Latin America regions.

During the LIT Awards Brazil ceremony, Astrid Hébert of the LIT Lighting Design Awards took the stage to honor the 2023 winners. The awardees included notable names such as Anna Turra Lighting Design, Apollo Iluminação, Archidesign, Stella Lighting Brazil, LightDesign Exporlux, Estudio Hofstadter, and Limarí Lighting Design. These winners were recognized for their exceptional contributions to the field of lighting design.

Additionally, several Honorable Recipients were acknowledged for their notable work. These included NTZ Lighting, Studio Ió, OMStudio, Mingrone Iluminação, Tecnowatt, and Omega. Their recognition underscored their significant impact on the lighting design landscape.

The LIT Lighting Design Awards ceremony not only celebrated past achievements but also highlighted the ongoing innovation and creativity within the industry, setting a high standard for future developments in lighting design.

Check all event impressions here.

The LIT Lighting Design Awards Gala, a prestigious event honoring the brightest minds in the lighting industry, took place on the 20th of June at the historic Banking Hall in London. With 180 of the world’s most influential lighting designers in attendance, the elegant evening celebrated the remarkable achievements of the 2022 and 2023 program winners, showcasing their outstanding contributions to architectural, product, and entertainment lighting design.

The ceremony commenced with an introduction by Hossein Farmani and Astrid Hébert, setting the stage for a night of recognition and inspiration. Highlighting the global impact of lighting design, Farmani remarked, “Your presence here is a testament to your commitment to pushing the boundaries of lighting design, showcasing innovative solutions, and embracing sustainability practices with passion.”

The Lifetime Achievement Awards were a highlight of the evening, honoring Patrick Woodroffe for his career and transformative contributions to the entertainment lighting field, and Roger Narboni, acknowledging his profound impact on today’s urban lighting design, and his pioneering work on the concept of “dark corridors.”

The DarkSky organization received the Spotlight Prize for the organization’s dedication to preserving the natural night sky. Meanwhile, Mark Stanley, the co-founder of The Studio School of Design, was honored for the non-profit’s commitment to promoting inclusive education in lighting design.

The ceremony featured a lineup of distinguished winners, including ERRELUCE for Architectural Lighting Design of the Year 2023 for their work at the IronPlate Restaurant and Hydrel for Lighting Product Design of the Year 2023 with their FLAME Lighting Technique. The event also honored past winners such as L’Observatoire International and Expolight, underscoring their ongoing impact on the industry. Among the celebrated companies were Raiden Studios Ltd, Light in Space Limited, ambience, Chelline Design, FerryGunawanDesigns, Luminum GmbH, Vivalyte BV, CeeKayEllo Limited, Hoare Lea, Lighting Design International, Office for Visual Interaction Inc., IFI architectural lighting works, PAAT STUDIO, Cia. dos Imaginários, Edison Price Lighting, Steensen Varming, Eleftheria Deko & Associates Lighting Design, MARABA STUDIO, Beersnielsen Lighting Designers, Marco Miglioli ArchiLight Studio and more.

The event was graced by influential figures like Randy Reid, a pivotal voice in lighting with decades of industry leadership, Esther Torelló, founder of Lightecture and advocate for creative lighting solutions, Mark Major, renowned for his transformative urban lighting projects, Sally Storey, a leading UK lighting expert known for her pioneering residential and commercial designs, and Katia Kolovea, an advocate for emerging talent and impactful lighting experiences globally. Their presence underscored the awards’ commitment to honoring outstanding achievements and advancing lighting design innovation worldwide.

Astrid Hébert, co-host of the event, expressed gratitude to these esteemed jury members whose expertise and dedication ensured the success of the awards ceremony. “We are truly amazed by the incredible talent and creativity showcased at tonight’s event,” she remarked. “Having so many of the world’s most innovative designers under one roof is truly inspiring. I am thrilled that LIT Lighting Design Awards continues to celebrate excellence and brings the best minds together, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in lighting design.”

The attendees were treated to a sumptuous 3-course dinner reception—a perfect opportunity for professionals and students to connect. As the night concluded, the excitement lingered with great networking opportunities and drinks. The atmosphere was truly festive, ensuring everyone had a delightful time.

The evening’s official media partners were D5Magazine, DesignWanted, and V2com.

For more information and a full list of winners, please visit www.litawards.com.

View all impressions from the ceremony

Conversations about the effects of light on humans and spaces, about the introduction of technology in lighting fixtures, or about the many innovations that we can expect for the future are some of the themes designers can expect to indulge in at these conferences and events. Knowing how exciting this is, D5MAG chose the 10 most important events for the lighting design industry, all happening in 2024. If one has already passed, no problem, save it for next year.

Light + Building (March 3–8, Germany) 

The Light + Building event is a key happening for lighting designers all over the world, as it includes over 2,000 exhibitions and more than 150,000 visitors from all over the world. The lighting and building sectors of design are always well represented as industry leaders get together to discuss the industry’s future and the current problems society faces.

Sustainability, Connectivity, and Work+Living are the main themes of this year’s edition. Visitors are invited to reflect on the critical needs of the lighting and building industry, such as energy efficiency, sustainable practices, and the integration of digital technologies.

LEDucation (March 19-20, USA)

LEDucation is the largest LED-only tradeshow and educational forum in the United States, where visitors delve deeper into the power of lighting design and its effect on humans. As a non-profit, the event’s goal is purely to stimulate LED innovation through scholarships and lighting programmes.

Speakers from diverse backgrounds have always been assiduous participants in the event, so expect to meet leading voices from industries such as lighting design, manufacturing, and technology. The event hosts a series of educational conferences that analyse sustainability, trends, health and well-being, and LED technologies. Exhibitions are also held, as manufacturers from all over the US are invited to showcase their projects and products, making this event great for networking and finding future collaborators.

Lightovation (January 10–14 and June 19–21, USA)

Lightovation is a biannual event in the US recognised as the largest residential lighting trade event in North America. Business, trade, and networking are given centre stage in this event as the venue joins all of the most innovative people and products in residential lighting design.

New lighting collections are known to be presented here first, with interconnectivity and LED technology at heart, making this event a must for professionals in the industry. The Metaverse Lighting TrendHouse is specific to this event, where future trends and technologies in lighting design are shared with the public, who can’t help going back home and dreaming about the magic of the future. showcasing future trends and technologies in lighting.

IES24: The Lighting Conference (August 15–17, USA)

The IES24 Lighting Conference event is held in New York City once a year, a city that has already marked its place among the design community with several other events. The conference is centred around themes all related to lighting design, such as research, design, technology, and brands, making it a must-attend event for those who wish to broaden their knowledge in the industry.

Education is a pillar of this conference, as the calendar is filled with workshops, presentations, talks, and socialising moments where the conversation always surrounds light and technology. The Industry Progress Report is a star of this conference, which, along with exhibits and receptions, gives professionals valuable insight into the industry and opens up networking opportunities. In the end, the Mai event of the conference puts a spotlight on some of the industry’s best. A gala is held where great design and knowledge of the field are awarded: the Illuminations Awards Gala.

ArchLIGHT Summit (September 17-18, USA)

The ArchLIGHT Summit is a commercial and architectural lighting event where visitors are offered an interactive, inclusive, and collaborative experience. Multidisciplinary at heart, this event strives to show the importance of lighting design in any space, which is why you can expect more than just lighting designers to attend, as interior designers and architects are also part of the party.

Workshops and educational sessions are held while brands and designers showcase their latest products and share their visions, making this the perfect place to experiment, learn, and collaborate. Live-streamed sessions are also held, opening up the event for students from local universities to participate and learn from it.

IALD Enlighten Americas (October 17–19, USA)

IALD Enlighten Americas takes place in the Californian Rancho Bernardo region, acting as one of the top conferences in the architectural lighting design industry. Education, networking, and innovation share the space, making this a conference no designer wants to miss out on.

The latest trends, technologies, and best methods in architectural lighting design are discussed in detail in the many workshops, lectures, and conferences held at this event. Establishing new relationships among designers is a major goal of this event, so the IALD Enlighten Americas is perfect for either well-established industry professionals or young designers looking for a shot.

Prestigious industry leaders and designers are expected to talk and give presentations, giving both inspiration and guidance to those who wish to make a change in the lighting design world. On the other hand, exhibitions of the latest lighting products, technologies, and solutions give visitors hands-on experience with new products and the invaluable chance to give their feedback to manufacturers.

NAILD Annual Convention (August 19–21, USA) 

The NAILD Annual Convention gathers professionals from the lighting distribution industry under the same roof, providing the perfect platform for networking, education, and innovation in lighting technology and distribution.

Expect keynote presentations from industry leaders, networking events to create connections, and interesting conversations where collaboration and light are the main topics. In the end, the highlight of the event is the President’s Dinner, which creates an extra relaxed setting for networking and socialising.

Light-Tech Expo (May 9–11, Poland)

The Light-Tech Expo is an international lighting trade fair where companies get the chance to showcase their innovative technologies and products, as well as create new business relationships in the field of lighting.

Over 7,000 visitors are expected, as well as more than 110 exhibitors. Because of this, the Light-Tech Expo is more than a conference, it is a comprehensive get-together of industry leaders and lighting innovation. Visitors will be able to meet industry professionals, designers, and manufacturers, as well as explore the many products that shed light on the future of lighting design.

IALD Enlighten Europe (June 21–22, UK) 

The IALD Enlighten Europe is a conference that focuses on the lighting design industry, its future and wonders, and how technology and designers can help transform it. To accomplish this, the event hosts presentations, and workshops, and offers visitors invaluable networking opportunities.

This is the perfect event to learn from industry leaders and engage in discussions about the latest trends and technologies in lighting design. Interactive in nature, the event opens up the space for industry professionals to connect with one another, such as designers, architects, engineers, manufacturers, and suppliers.

Some of the highlights of this event are its keynote speeches, lighting cross-talk sessions, exhibitor demonstrations, and social gatherings. On the other hand, the conference also shed light on students and educators, who are recognised by the IALD Education Trust, which acts as a little push for the next generation of lighting designers.

Guzhen International Lighting Fair (October 22–26, China)

The Guzhen International Lighting Fair, held at the Guzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre in Zhongshan, China, is an important event in the lighting industry. Not only does it showcase the latest in lighting technologies, products, and innovations from around the world, but it also connects Western and Eastern professionals through their love of design.

The fair will be introducing new elements this year, such as smart lighting experiences, new energy applications, and crossover home goods, making it a specialised, market-oriented, and international industry event. Its impressive exhibition area spans a whopping 1.5 million square metres and hosts around 3,300 lighting exhibitions.

Such a massive and comprehensive setting gives visitors the perfect chance to network, increasing, in the end, their phone book with several international names that can come in handy when wanting to expand a business. Known for its organisation and high quality, this fair is a must-attend for lighting designers—or any designer and manufacturer, really—from all over the world.

Text: Leonor Gomes

The countdown is on with only a few days to go before the doors open on the world’s leading trade fair for lighting and building-services technology in Frankfurt am Main. And this major event for the sector is already proving to be very popular. More than 2,000 national and international exhibitors have registered to present their innovations to a wide audience of trade visitors. They include numerous market leaders who will be showing their latest products for the fields of lighting, electrical engineering, home and building automation and networked safety and security technology.

The next Light + Building will be held from 3 to 8 March 2024, and after Germany, the best-represented nations to date include Italy, Turkey, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Greece and China. “There is a high level of interest in taking part again in 2024, on both the lighting and building sides. We are delighted about the many loyal customers who took part in the last edition of the fair, as well as about a whole series of returning exhibitors. They all ensure that Light + Building is the unrivalled, international highlight for the lighting and building-technology sectors”, says Johannes Möller, Head of Light + Building Brand Management. Expanding on this, he adds: “There have been some changes at the Exhibition Centre, which have opened up new planning options for us.”

Experts for lighting with a new structure

Covering the spectrum from offices and educational facilities to the industry, retail trade and hotel business, Light + Building brings together experts for intelligent lighting solutions at the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre. Altogether, this theme occupies around 64 percent of total exhibition space. New in this connection is the layout of the product segments, which has been made possible by the inclusion of the new Hall 5 with two modern floors that are open to Light + Building exhibitors for the first time. This creates a new circular route in the eastern section of the Exhibition Centre, which runs from Halls 5 and 6, via the Forum and Hall 3, to Hall 4, and is made effortless by the Via Mobile system of moving walkways.

What can visitors expect in which halls?

The market leaders from the ‘technical lighting’ segment are to be found in Halls 3.0, 5 and the Forum. The exhibitors showing their latest products include Bega, Brumberg, Glamox, iGuzzini, Leds C4, Ledvance, Lichtwerk, Molto Luce, Normagrup, Regiolux, Ridi, RZB, Simes, Thorn, Tridonic, Trilux, XAL and Zumtobel.

Hall 3.1 focuses on decorative and technical, design-oriented lighting with presentations being made, for example, by Artemide, Delta Light, 3F Filippi, Linea Light, Marinelli Luce, Prolicht and Targetti.

Urban lighting for streets and public places will be shown by many companies including AEC Illuminazione, Benito Urban, Carandini, Eclatec, Fonroche, Leipziger Leuchten, Metalogalva, Ragni and Valmont in Hall 4.0. A floor higher, in Hall 4.1, visitors will find not only lighting for industry and special applications but also shop and theatre lighting, as well as emergency and safety lighting. Among the exhibitors taking part there will be Barthelme, Deko Light, Eaton, Inotec, Nobilé, Opple, Robus, Rutec, Radium, RP Group and SG Armaturen.

The complete spectrum of decorative lighting is located in Hall 6 where the exhibitors include Authentage, Elstead Lighting, Fan Europe, Konstsmide, Lucide and Nordlux, plus the companies taking part in the Turkish pavilion.

The lighting sector also occupies part of the western section of the Exhibition Centre and, for the first time, takes up the whole of Hall 8. With the focus there on lighting components, sources of light and lighting control systems, the exhibitors presenting their latest products include Bender + Wirth, BJB, Nichia, Osram, Seoul Semiconductor, TCI, Vossloh-Schwabe and Wago.

Hall 10.1 and 10.2 are devoted to Asian lighting manufacturers in the Asia Selection segment.

Looking ahead with intelligent building-services technology

Based on the electrotechnical infrastructure, tomorrow’s sustainable houses and buildings will use renewable sources of energy, have efficient and economical energy management, and, at the same time, offer a high degree of comfort, safety and security. The electrotechnical infrastructure is the prerequisite for home and building automation, energy storage and management, the connection of photovoltaic systems and charging stations and electricity-based heating systems. The latest products, technologies and trends for electrical engineering and home and building automation will be the focus of attention in Halls 9, 11 and 12.

Many of the sector’s key players have already confirmed their participation in the fair. In Hall 12.0, they include ABB, ABL, Bals, Bosch Thermotechnik, Busch-Jaeger, Dehn SE, Kaiser, Niedax, SMA, Stiebel Eltron, Theben, Viessmann and Warema. A floor higher, in Hall 12.1, the exhibitors will include Doepke, Fränkische Rohrwerke, Hager, Mennekes, Hensel, OBO Bettermann and PCE.

The extensive range of electrotechnical and home and building-automation products continues in Hall 11.0 with exhibitors such as Beckhoff, Phoenix Contact, Rittal, Siemens, Wago and Weidmüller. In Hall 11.1 the companies taking part include Gira, Jung, Legrand, MDT, Schneider Electric and Siedle.

The safety and security technology segment has also been expanded under the heading ‘Intersec Building’ and can be found in Hall 9.0. Among the exhibitors there showing solutions for connected safety and security technology will be Abus, BKS, Dom, Gretsch Unitas, Grothe and Winkhaus. In addition, the range of products and services for electrical engineering, house and building technology continues in Hall 9.0. Here, Bacnet, EnOcean, frogblue, Loytec, Megger, Thermokon and Woertz show their innovative products.

You can find the Interactive Hall Plan 2024 here.