Illumination Awards

IES Illumination AwardsThe Illumination Awards program recognizes individuals for professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based on individual merit of each entry.

Submissions for 2023 open Jan 4, 2023. 

The IES Illumination Awards (IA) program recognizes individuals for professionalism, ingenuity and originality in lighting design based on the individual merit of each entry. Judges are selected from a broad professional spectrum representing knowledge of lighting and design excellence. The judging system is entirely based on how well the lighting design meets the program criteria. The Illumination Awards program is not a competition. The IES Illumination Awards will be presented as the opening session to kick-off the 2023 Annual Conference.

Check out the Illumination Awards webpage for more information.

Projects previously submitted to the IES Illumination Awards are not eligible.

  • Anyone (except manufacturers); IES members or nonmembers (with the exclusion of IES staff and IES Board of Directors), may enter a project for an Illumination Award. Agents may also submit.
  • Registration fees are non-refundable.
  • Early Submission: January 4th – 31st 11:59PM EST (Fee: $200)
  • Regular Submission: February 1st -17th 11:59PM EST (Fee: $250)
  • The installation must have been completed during the 24 months preceding the January program date listed.
  • Projects may be entered only once using the IA portal. If there is no active IES section in your area, your project will still be accepted and entered for judging. All judging is conducted ‘blind’ or anonymously; judges do not know any project details at any stage of judging. The nominator must check with all parties to eliminate duplicate entries. All entries previously judged will be rejected.
  • Different areas of the same project may be submitted as separate lighting or controls project entries. Each of these entries must have its own distinguishable title and additional entry fee. Each of these entries will be judged separately.
  • Lead Lighting Designer must inform the owner and all others involved or associated in the project design, of participation in the program and that the entry may be published in LD+A. The owner’s name and location may be withheld for privacy reason.

Previous Winners

The IES Section Service Award is presented by a Section to a member in recognition of outstanding service to the Section, principally of a non-technical nature, that has significantly furthered the purpose of the Society continuously over a number of years in various programs and activities.

2022 IES Illumination Awards 

  • 1300 WILSON BOULEVARD 
    Designers: George S. Sexton III, Tina Sarawgi, Natalie Anderson – George Sexton Associates, LLC 
  • 399 NEMA 
    Designers: Angelica Santana, Ashley Mandich, David Ghatan – CM Kling + Associates 
  • 699 14TH STREET – EXTERIOR 
    Designers: Frank Feist, Maureen Moran, Sarah Wujcik – MCLA 
  • CONRAD HOTEL – WASHINGTON D.C. 
    Designers: Scott Guenther, Kate Fuller, Maureen Moran – MCLA; Dominique Alary – Lumid 
  • LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER 
    Designers: David Ghatan, Angelica Santana, Ashley Mandich – CM Kling + Associates 
  • NARBO VIA 
    Designers: George S. Sexton III, Joseph J. Geitner – George Sexton Associates, LLC 

2021 IES Illumination Awards 

  • BETHESDA CORPORATE OFFICE 
    Designers: Sarah Boyer, Katy Moser, Andrea Hartranft – Hartranft Lighting Design 
  • BROOKHAVEN SERVICE CENTER 
    Designers: Gavin Gui – CEG Solutions LLC; Vincent Minni – Envocore 
  • CME CENTER – 10 & 30 SOUTH WACKER 
    Designers: George S. Sexton, III, Rosemarie Seeland, Olga Stroubos – George Sexton Associates, LLC 
  • FINNEGAN HENDERSON RESTON 
    Designers: Frank Feist, Maureen Moran – MCLA 
  • HOTEL RIGGS 
    Designers: Scott Guenther, Maureen Moran – MCLA 
  • MARRIOTT OCEANFRONT VIRGINIA BEACH 
    Designers: David Ghatan, Angelica Santana – CM Kling + Associates 
  • REVEL – 1600 BELLE VIEW RENOVATION 
    Designer: Andres Regens – HGA 
  • RIO LAKEFRONT 
    Designers: Sarah Boyer, Andrea Hartranft – Hartranft Lighting Design 
  • ROTHKO CHAPEL 
    Designers: George S. Sexton, III, Owen Brady – George Sexton Associates, LLC 
  • WASHINGTON METRO TRAIN ROOM LIGHTING RENOVATION 
    Designers: Claude R. Engle, IV, Alexandra Steimel – Claude Engle Lighting 
  • WESTWOOD HILLS NATURE CENTER 
    Designer: Andres Regens – HGA 

2020 IES Illumination Awards 

  • BELL HELICOPTER, CRYSTAL CITY 
    Designer: Frank Feist 
    Company: MCLA 
  • BICENTENNIAL HALL 
    Designer: Christopher V. Stroik 
    Company: Stroik Lighting Design 
  • CAPITAL ONE CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 
    Designer: Sarah Wujcik 
    Company: MCLA 
  • CAPITAL ONE CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS – ART 
    Designer: MCLA Team 
    Company: MCLA 
  • CONFIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT WORKPLACE 
    Designer: Christopher V. Stroik 
    Company: Stroik Lighting Design 
  • CONVENE – TERRELL PLACE – OFFICE RENOVATION 
    Designer: Jay Kline 
    Company: CFR Engineering 
  • CRANES DC 
    Designer: David Ghatan 
    Company: CM Kling + Associates Inc 
  • GREATER ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ENTRY CANOPY 
    Designer: Andrea Hartranft 
    Company: Hartranft Lighting Design, LLC 
  • MIDTOWN CENTER LOBBY 
    Designer: Frank Feist 
    Company: MCLA
  • RADIANT ECHO 
    Designer: Glenn Shrum 
    Company: Flux Studio 
  • RSM US, SAN DIEGO OFFICES 
    Designer: Lisa M. Lamp 
    Company: Interplan 

2019 IES Illumination Awards 

  • SQUARE 37 
    Designer: David Ghatan 
    Company: CM Kling + Associates Inc. 
  • PARALLAX GAP 
    Designer: David Ghatan 
    Company: Pixelumen Lab 
  • SNF PARKWAY 
    Designer: Glenn Shrum 
    Company: Flux Studio 
  • RAIN – M STREET UNDERPASS ART PARK 
    Designer: Osman Sarioglu 
    Company: MC Dean, Inc. 

2018 IES Illumination Awards 

  • 2U 
    Designer: David Ghatan 
    Company: CM KLING + ASSOCIATES 
  • E9 – BEIJING INTERIOR 
    Designer: Maureen Moran 
    Company: MCLA 
  • M.C. DEAN CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 
    Designer: Adam Kristanc 
    Company: M.C. Dean 

2017 IES Illumination Awards 

  • CITY CENTER D.C. OFFICE LOBBY 
    Designer: Claude R. Engle, Sr. 
    Company: Claude R. Engle Lighting Consultants 
  • 5333 CONNECTICUT AVENUE 
    Designer: Maureen Moran 
    Company: MCLA 
  • NOBLIS HEADQUARTERS 
    Designer: Patrice Mulhern 
    Company: SmithGroupJJR 
  • SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM’S RENWICK GALLERY 
    Designer: Scott Rosenfeld 
    Company: DLR Group|Westlake Reed Leskosky 
  • ARNOLD & PORTER LLP 
    Designer: Sara Demel 
    Company: SBLD Studio 
  • TOYOTA GOVERNMENT RELATIONS OFFICE 
    Designer: Erin Werner 
    Company: SBLD Studio 

2016 IES Illumination Awards 

  • THE RITZ-CARLTON DC – LOBBY BAR RENOVATION 
    Designer: Angelica Santana 
    Company: CM KLING + ASSOCIATES 
  • MARRIOTT NEWPORT 
    Designer: David Ghatan 
    Company: CM KLING + ASSOCIATES 
  • MEMBER CENTER – THE ADVISORY BOARD COMPANY 
    Designer: Sven Shockey 
    Company: SmithGroupJJR 
  • BOSTON PARK PLAZA HOTEL 
    Designer: David Ghatan 
    Company: CM KLING + ASSOCIATES 
  • AVALON AT ARLINGTON SQUARE 
    Designer: Ryan Smith 
    Company: CM KLING + ASSOCIATES 
  • NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE (NMR) RESEARCH LAB 
    Designer: Nick Kutchi 
    Company: CFR Engineering