Winners announced for the 40th annual IALD International Lighting Design Awards

A global audience took part in celebrating the finest examples of lighting design in the world through the presentation of the industry’s most prestigious awards.

The 2023 IALD International Lighting Design Awards, presented by Acuity Brands, were celebrated globally both online and at viewing parties in cities worldwide. 27 projects from fifteen countries are recognised and applauded for their demonstration of exceptional lighting design and contribution to the professional design community.

Now in its 40th year, the IALD International Lighting Design Awards is the longest-running award program that recognises architectural lighting design excellence. Receiving an IALD award is universally heralded as the top honor in the lighting design industry.

IALD Awards Chair Yah Li Toh hosted the online broadcast and was thrilled to announce the winners, commenting, “These exceptional projects are diverse in application and scale, but each one elevates and inspires our professional community.”

She continued: “The large number of entries submitted for this year was a clear indication of the vitality of professional lighting design. Our judges worked tirelessly to evaluate them all thoroughly and with strict adherence to our blind scoring criteria, and these twenty-seven winners are the absolute best of an already incredible array of talented work.”

The project with the highest score received an Award of Excellence as well as the highest honor of the ceremony, the IALD Radiance Award for Excellence in Lighting Design. This accolade was given to The Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium with lighting design by LIGHT-TO-LIGHT.

The following projects received an IALD Award of Excellence:

• 550 Madison Avenue Lobby | New York, NY USA | KGM Architectural Lighting
• Central Library of Estefan Municipality | Esfahan, Iran | Behin Lighting Company
• The Church of Our Lady of Laeken | Brussels, Belgium | LIGHT-TO-LIGHT
• Espenes Rest Stop | Sørfjorden, Hardanger, Norway | Light Bureau
• IINC Boutique | Hangzhou, China | YAANK Lighting Design
• Indoor Lighting for the Mausoleum of Theodoric | Ravenna, Italy | I-DEA s.r.l.
• New Perelada Winery | Girona, Spain | Artec Studio
• Polish Army Soldiers’ Cemetery at Westerplatte | Gdańsk, Poland | QLAB Laboratory of Light
• Rochester Cathedral | Kent, United Kingdom | CES Lighting & Electrical Specialists
• Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium | Omaha, Nebraska, USA | Morrissey Engineering
• Zero-Energy Media Façade | Basel, Switzerland | iart

The following projects earned an IALD Award of Merit:

• American Museum of Natural History: Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals | New York, New York, USA | Renfro Design Group
• Athens Olympic Museum | Marousi, Athens, Greece | Loisos + Ubbelohde in collaboration with KLAB Architecture
• Biograph Pilot Clinic | San Mateo, California, USA | PritchardPeck Lighting
• The Elizabeth Line: Line-Wide Design | London, United Kingdom | Equation Lighting Design
• Greenhills Beach Residence | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | Electrolight
• GRNDCNTRL Night Club | Shanghai, China | YAANK Lighting Design
• Hallgrímskirkja | Reykjavík, Iceland | LISKA ehf.
• Ishikawa Prefectural Library | Ishikawa, Japan | Lighting Planners Associates
• The Schwarzman Center Renovation at Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut, USA | L’Observatoire International
• Senate House Steps, University of London | London, United Kingdom | BDP Lighting
• SETSU Niseko – a Seven Palms Resort (Reception, Lobby Lounge & Wine Bar) | Hokkaido, Japan | Nipek
• Steinmetz Hall – Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts | Orlando, Florida, USA | Ann Kale Associates
• Queen Miami Beach (Theatre Restaurant Night Club) | Miami, Florida, USA | Lux Populi
• Verizon at the Hub on Causeway | Boston, Massachusetts, USA | HLB Lighting Design + Michael Stiller Design

The following projects were granted IALD Special Citation:

• Special Citation for Community Improvement Through Interactive Lighting

• • NIGHTSHIFT | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Mulvey & Banani Lighting

• Special Citation for Cost-Effective Sustainable Improvement of Community Space

• • Woodriff Lane Lighting Intervention | Penrith, New South Wales, Australia | Steensen Varming

The IALD gives great thanks to the 2023 IALD International Lighting Design Awards panel of seven volunteer judges, including five professional lighting designers, one architect, and one interior designer. This year’s esteemed judges are: Ee Mun Chan (Architect) – Singapore; Roberto Corradini – Venice, Italy; Kim Daley, Associate IALD – New York, USA; Julia Hartmann, CLD, IALD – Zürich, Switzerland; Fang Hu, CLD, IALD – Beijing, China; Andrew McCormack (Interior Designer) – California, USA; Jackson Stigwood, Associate IALD – Sydney, Australia.

Since its inception in 1983, the IALD International Lighting Design Awards has honoured lighting design that reaches new heights, moves beyond the ordinary, and represents excellence in aesthetic and technical design achievement.

Image credits: Project: The Church of Our Lady of Laeken, Brussels, Belgium.

Design firm: LIGHT-TO-LIGHT.

Lighting Designers: Fiorenzo Namèche, IALD; Guerric Hocepied.

Photography: Marc Detiffe.