The IES Illumination Awards (formerly the International Illumination Design Awards) provides a unique opportunity for public recognition of professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based upon the individual merit of each entry judged against specific criteria.

The IES Illumination Awards program awards two 2008 Lumen Award projects with top honors, and ten 2008 Lumen Award projects with Awards of Merit.

IIDA 2008 Award of Distinction
United States Air Force Memorial, Arlington, Virginia
Designers: Enrique Peiniger, Jean Sundin
Company: Office for Visual Interaction
Owner: Air Force Memorial Foundation
Photos: Thomas Mayer






IIDA 2008 Award of Excellence
The Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Santa Ana, California
Designer: Francesca Bettridge, Marty Salzberg, Nira Wattanachotte, and Fabio Tuchiya
Company: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design
Owner: Orange County Performing Arts Center
Photos: Lawrence Anderson, Photography and RMA




IIDA 2008 Awards of Merit:

School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Tillotson Design Associates, Shiri Cnaani, Suzan Tillotson

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art – Exterior and Interior, Kansas City, Missouri
Lighting Designer: Renfro Design Group, Rob Guglielmetti, Rebecca Malkin, Michael Peace, Richard Renfro

The New York Times Headquarters, New York, New York
Lighting Designer: SBLD studio, Susan Brady, Zengwei Fu, Wen Yuan Lin, Attila Uysal

New Museum for Contemporary Art, New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Tillotson Design Associates - David Burya, Stasa Celigoj, Vivie Chia-Yu Lin, Suzan Tillotson

Brooklyn Central Library, New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Arup Lighting, New York - Matt Franks, Brian Stacy

Art Cave, Napa Valley, California
Lighting Designer: Renfro Design Group - Eileen M.E. Pierce, Richard Renfro

The Fragonard Room at The Frick Collection, New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Renfro Design Group - Pum Photjananuwat, Eileen M.E. Pierce, Richard Renfro

Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, New York, New York
Lighting Designer: RS Lighting Design - Randy Sabedra

100th Anniversary of the Times Square Ball, New York, New York
Lighting Designer: Focus Lighting Inc., NYC - Brett Andersen, Paul Gregory, Christine Hope, Jeff Shepard

For a complete listing of all the 2008 IIDA Award recipients Click Here!

Recipients will be presented their awards and recognized for their lighting designs at the IES Annual Conference in Savannah, Georgia. A montage of photos from the Award of Merit recipients are also scheduled. The IES lighting awards program will be held at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts on Sunday, November 9, 2008 as part of the welcome event.

Judges are selected from a broad professional spectrum that represents knowledge of lighting and design excellence. The judging system is based entirely on how well the lighting design does or does not meet the program criteria. This program is not a competition. The program is open to any qualified entrant without limitations as to professional affiliations. The Guth, Waterbury, Cutler and the Energy and Environmental Design Award Sponsored by Osram Sylvania are parallel programs created to recognize outstanding lighting design.

The Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award for Interior Lighting Design - honors the memory of Edwin F. Guth, who founded the St. Louis Brass Co. in 1902. He later renamed the company the Edwin F. Guth Co. At the time of his death in 1962, he held 147 patents.

The Paul Waterbury Award for Outdoor Lighting Design - honors Paul Waterbury's achievements in the lighting field. Among them, the development of 1500 W metal halide lamps for stadium use and an optical system for low mounted tennis court lighting.

The Aileen Page Cutler Memorial Award for Residential Lighting Design - honors the memory of Aileen Page Cutler, a developer of new and creative ways to light residences. She also developed training programs for teaching others the art and science of residential lighting. She was the wife of the late C.M. (Monte) Cutler, who established this award.

The Energy and Environmental Design Award sponsored by Osram Sylvania - recognizes quality lighting installations in commercial and industrial buildings that incorporate advanced energy-saving strategies and environmentally responsible solutions into the overall design

Starting in 2009, all projects will be submitted through the IES website. Deadlines for submission will be in late January 2009 so begin your preparations!