About the IALD Awards

The IALD International Lighting Design Awards, the longest-running international lighting design awards program, is the highest honor in the profession. It recognizes work that reaches new heights and represents excellence in both aesthetic and technical achievement. 

Since its establishment in 1983, the IALD Awards program has supported the Association's mission and vision: to raise the profile of lighting designers and demonstrate the visible success of the professional community.

The 2026 Call for Entries

The 2026 Call for Entries Handbook provides complete information on the IALD Awards submission process, including project eligibility, the requirements for submitted media, copyright release forms, and best practices for submitting a project entry. Please download and review it thoroughly; it will answer most questions about the program.

Program Entry Dates and Fees

Discounts for IALD Members

Both IALD members and non-members can submit entries for consideration. To qualify for a lower entry fee, at least one person on a project’s design team must be an IALD member (Member, Design, Professional, Fellow) in good standing at the time of project submission.

Eligibility

Who Can Enter?

In short, this program recognizes outstanding architectural lighting design. The individuals credited on a project must be professional lighting designers, and awards will be granted only to the team or teams that explicitly executed and approved the lighting design. 

As an international organization for the lighting design community, the IALD welcomes the participation of design firms and the submission of projects from around the world.

NOTE: Lighting designers serving on the Awards judging panel and others in their design firms may submit entries with a clear understanding that they will privately recuse themselves from evaluating those projects. All entries remain anonymous to the remainder of the judging panel.

What Can Be Entered?

An eligible project must be:

1. An architectural lighting design solution
2. Completed on or after 1 January 2024
3. A permanent installation, meaning that a project must intend to be in place for at least two (2) years at the time of submission

An entry from the previous IALD Awards cycle may be submitted again if:

• The project has not won an IALD Award
• The completion date was on or after 1 January 2024

​​​​​​Submitting a Project

To submit a project for consideration, the entrant (the person submitting the project) completes an online application form and uploads media files to this IALD Awards Call for Entries portal. Access to the application form requires a free account on the IALD digital platform (iald.org) to ensure data security and allow entrants to leave and return later to continue or complete an entry.

Need Help?

If you have inquiries about the Awards program or rules, contact the IALD Awards Staff.

If you need technical help with an entry, please click the blue chat bubble at the bottom right or contact the support team.