The 2025 IALD International Lighting Design Awards Opens the Call for Entries
The IALD invites architectural lighting designers worldwide to submit projects for the Call for Entries for the 2025 IALD International Lighting Design Awards.
Embarking upon the 42nd annual awards cycle, the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). Receiving an IALD Award is widely recognized as the highest honor in the lighting design industry. Since its establishment in 1983, the IALD International Lighting Design Awards has recognized lighting design projects that advance the profession, challenge conventional expectations, and excel in aesthetics and technical design.
Individual lighting designers and firms can submit eligible projects for award consideration regardless of IALD membership. Eligible projects are permanent architectural lighting design solutions where construction was completed after 1 January 2023. (Projects submitted for consideration in the previous year may be resubmitted provided they meet the completion date requirement.)
2025 IALD Awards Chair Uno Lai, IALD, CLD, anticipates an impressive pool of submissions: "We are thrilled to begin the 2025 program. The high caliber of projects we consistently receive is a testament to our profession's talents and vitality. Year after year, designers worldwide demonstrate innovation, ethical integrity, and an unwavering dedication to the artistry of their work. It's an honor to witness the judges' work and equally gratifying to see the vast array of exceptional entries they evaluate."
A seven-judge panel spanning geographic locations and professional disciplines will conduct two rounds of review, evaluating projects based on a rigorous rubric of design criteria. High-scoring projects may receive the IALD Award of Excellence or the IALD Award of Merit. Additionally, those projects that demonstrate particularly innovative aspects of lighting design may earn an IALD Special Citation. The IALD International Lighting Design Awards' highest honor, the IALD Radiance Award, is presented to the top-scoring project, recognizing it as the year's finest example of architectural lighting design.
The official Call for Entries submission platform provides detailed guidelines for project submissions, required materials, and explanations of the judging criteria. IALD member and non-member lighting designers may enter projects through 11 November 2024, with a late-entry deadline of 3 December 2024.
Design teams can begin their applications now at https://iald.org/awardscall.
When judging concludes in January 2025, the Chair will notify award recipients in preparation for a highly celebrated Awards presentation on 7 May at Lightfair 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The awarded entries will also be revealed globally in a streaming broadcast that evening, as numerous IALD Regions and Chapters worldwide will host local gatherings for lighting design colleagues to view and celebrate the winners. The IALD will release further details on social media and the association's website about the 2025 Awards event, including sponsorship opportunities and ticket sales.