2026 Gloria Koch Leonidas Illumination Awards

The 2026 Gloria Koch Leonidas Illumination Award Dinner will be held at Block 41 on Thursday, May 14, 2026.

About the IES Illumination Awards (IA)
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. We strongly recommend that applicants
read through the eligibility/entry rules and FAQs before submitting to the program.

New in 2026
Impact Statement:

During the awards submission process, a new Impact Statement will be asked and included in judging of the project. Submitters will be asked to explain “How does this project positively enhance or impact the community it is serving?” in their submission. This additional scored question replaces the discretionary points judges could award to projects.

The impact statement should highlight how the project makes a difference in the community where it is located. A few examples are ensuring the lighting for an outdoor project doesn’t negatively impact or shine into an adjacent community, designing with the understanding of local customs and abilities, using an equitable process of community engagement and collaboration, or building community through light. It can also be used to identify how your designed empowered spaces that serve historically under resourced, neglected, and/or marginal communities with quality lighting designs.

New Category:

The Illumination Award for Experiential Lighting Design, sponsored by ETC, Inc. recognizes those projects that use the design of lighting as art or for effect. The projects submitted in this category are themed or immersive environments, whether temporary, permanent, or seasonal. The Experiential Lighting Design award encompasses interior and exterior projects and permanent, temporary, or seasonal installations. This can be a park with interactive elements for visitors, a spectacular holiday display, or an amusement park ride, to name a few examples.

The evening schedule:
Doors Open – 4:00 pm
Dinner Served – 6:00 pm
Award Presentation Begins: 6:30 pm

For Ticket Sales, please click HERE.

We are looking for a sponsor for the paper program. In addition, we are also selling full and half page advertisements. If you would like to sponsor the program or purchase an advertisement in the program, please inquire for further information.