Discover the Meaning of Mentorship with the Silhouette Awards

The renowned Silhouette Awards programme, well-established for supporting and celebrating the rising stars of the lighting design industry, has opened the call for Mentors for its fourth year. With three previous programmes and 60 Mentor-Mentee pairings under its belt, the Silhouette Awards has firmly positioned itself as a supportive community programme which hugely benefits the industry.

The Silhouette Awards team are looking for senior members of the lighting industry to Mentor winners of the 2024/2025 programme. Becoming a Silhouette Awards Mentor is a fantastic opportunity with many personal and professional benefits. Those selected will become part of an international network of renowned past and present Mentors, defining the programme’s winners by forming a valued part of the judging panel. Mentors will review all nominations and participate in the independent judging process, before being part of the online winner’s ceremony.

This incredibly fulfilling role allows Mentors to share their valuable knowledge and experience with one of the industry’s rising stars, becoming a key part of their journey and helping them flourish over a six-month mentorship period. During this journey, there is also the opportunity to learn from other Mentors and Mentees for a two-way process of growth and development.

Silhouette Mentors from the previous three years discuss what mentoring means to them and why they believe that mentorship is so important.

Beata Denton, Year 1 Mentor, says: “One shouldn’t ever underestimate the importance of sharing or asking for advice. It’s vital for a rewarding and successful career. Learn that early on and you will never feel alone; you will be braver and find more joy in your career. For both mentor and mentee, since it’s often the case that we come from different countries and even different continents, it is an eye opener. We are so wonderfully similar and yet our working environments and daily challenges differ to a greater or lesser extent, due to cultural differences. The world gets both bigger and smaller when one is part of this mentorship program.

Rachel Fitzgerald, Mentor from Year 3, adds: “My personal journey wouldn’t be where it is today without the invaluable guidance of mentors. Whether in the form of a trusted advisor, a network of experienced peers, or even those with less experience offering fresh perspectives, I’ve consistently learned and continue to learn tremendously from this dynamic support system. This is why mentorship holds such significance: it fosters a powerful exchange of knowledge, creating a communal space for growth and development that benefits both the mentor and the mentee.” 

Mentor applications are open from Monday, the 3rd of June, until Monday 5th of August 2024. To apply to be a Silhouette Awards Mentor, you must be an experienced and senior member of the Lighting Industry with more than 15 years of experience. The Silhouette Awards team will review all submissions and contact the successful candidates at the beginning of September 2024, as the new season officially starts in mid-September. The winners will be announced at the end of February, and the mentorship journey officially starts on 1st March and continues until 31st August 2025.

If you would like to be a valuable part of someone’s design journey, apply to become a Silhouette Awards Mentor here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7xZtomqWNFA2U8z4ed6sMpotjqR_wrMZC2GCxPonpNkX9Mw/viewform

The Silhouette Awards is a collaboration between Parrot PR and Marketing and Archifos.

Eve Gaut, Silhouette Awards Co-Founder, Parrot PR & Marketing, commented: “As the awards grow each year, it is a wonderful collective achievement to see another 20 young designers’ benefit from the journey with their Mentors, progressing their careers and developing the future of the industry. We have seen a lasting impact from the past two years at how the mentorship journey has made a huge difference to our Mentees.”

Katia Kolovea, Silhouette Awards Co-Founder, Archifos, added: “As the pool of Mentors grows larger and reaches further around the world, we are proud to see how everyone is connecting and supporting each other. It is inspiring to see how our passionate Mentors want to continue to benefit the industry. This year’s winners equal 60 young talents so far which have been nurtured, making a massive impact on the future of the industry.”

The Silhouette Awards has received widespread support from its:

Power Sponsors: Monarca.

Core Sponsors: ADO Lights, GVA Lighting, and LUG Light Factory.

Light Sponsors: LED Luks – Lighting Solutions, Intra Lighting, ATEA – Architectural Lighting, L&L Luce&Light, Lucent Lighting and WE-EF Lighting.

Supporters: A1 Lighting, APDI, arc magazine,designing lighting, Designers Mind,International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), inside.lighting, Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP), Lightecture Magazine, LIT Lighting Design Awards, Lighting Design Magazine, LiGHT 23, LUCE, Lytei, Skills Army, Society of Light and Lighting (SLL), STIRworld, Virtual Lighting Design Community (VLDC), Workspace Design Showand Women in Lighting.

Find out more about the Silhouette Awards and how you can get involved as an entrant, mentor or sponsor for the 2024-2025 awards programme here.