Acouple of weeks ago, the 2025 IES Illumination Awards recipients were celebrated at IES25: The Lighting Conference in Anaheim, CA. It seemed appropriate that a new award category, Illumination Award for Experiential Lighting Design, sponsored by ETC, Inc., was unveiled a mere 1-mile stroll away from “Uncle Walt’s” Disneyland, which changed the immersive theme park landscape forever. This month, LD+A casts a spotlight on the IES Illumination Awards and the people and projects that continue to move the lighting industry forward in innovative and exciting ways. We congratulate this year’s awards recipients.
While the IES is recognized as the technical and educational authority on illumination, as a membership organization, its influences extend well beyond the obvious CEUs and standards development. A significant element of growing the industry and promoting its benefits is cultivating future generations of lighting designers.
A seed was planted back in March during LEDucation, where I had the pleasure of meeting EP Rachel Kim (LD+A, July 2025), marketing specialist at GigaTera Lighting. As anyone who has attended LEDucation knows, seating is at a premium, so Rachel and I grabbed lunch and sat on the floor—“crisscross applesauce”-style—discussing a variety of topics including her background and career aspirations as well as industry trends. That conversation inspired me to think more deeply about the role LD+A can play in reaching out to more young people about the benefits of participating in industry societies and associations. To do so, we need to make a more concerted effort to engage young people in their spaces. (At some point, that likely involves asking for their help in picking my old bones off conference hotel floors.)
To foster growth in the next generation of lighting designers, LD+A and the IES have partnered to offer students and EPs the opportunity to win a one-year IES Membership. Throughout 2026, one person will be selected each month to receive an award, with a total of six Student and six EP Memberships distributed. Applications are currently welcome and will be accepted on a rolling basis through September 30, 2026. The cutting-edge education, conference events, and networking opportunities that IES Membership provides are an invaluable benefit to students and EPs, so we are asking that interested students and EPs are nominated to be considered for an award. Additional details are available in the “Call for Nominations” in this issue, and we hope to have the industry’s support in both communicating this effort and offering nominations.
Craig Causer
Editor-in-Chief
craig.causer@sagepub.com
Editor I
Michele Zimmerman
Creative Manager, Commercial Publishing
Samuel Fontanez
Senior Account Specialist II
Leslie Prestia
Published by
Sage Publications, Inc.
2455 Teller Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
Phone: 800-818-7243
Website: www.journals.sagepub.com
LD+A is a magazine for professionals involved in the art, science, study, manufacture, teaching, and implementation of lighting. LD+A is designed to enhance and improve the practice of lighting. Every issue of LD+A includes feature articles on design projects, technical articles on the science of illumination, new product developments, industry trends, news of the Illuminating Engineering Society, and vital information about the illuminating profession. Statements and opinions expressed in articles and editorials in LD+A are the expressions of contributors and do not necessarily represent the policies or opinions of the Illuminating Engineering Society. Advertisements appearing in this publication are the sole responsibility of the advertiser.
LD+A (ISSN 0360-6325) is published monthly in the United States of America by Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, 800-818-7243. Copyright 2025 by Sage Publications. Periodicals postage paid at Thousand Oaks, CA, and additional mailing offices. Nonmember subscriptions: $60 for individuals and $600 for institutions. Additional $24.00 postage for subscriptions outside the United States. Member subscriptions $32.00 (not deductible from annual dues). Authorization to reproduce articles for internal or personal use by specific clients is granted by Sage Publications to libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) Transactional Reporting Service, under the terms of the CCC license. This consent does not extend to other kinds of copying for purposes such as general distribution, advertising or promotion, creating new collective works, or resale.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LD+A, c/o Sage Publications, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Subscribers: For continuous service please notify LD+A of address changes at least six weeks in advance.
Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement
#40612608
Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip
International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.
This publication is indexed regularly by Engineering Index, Inc. and Applied Science & Technology Index. LD+A is available on microfilm from Proquest Information and Learning, 800-521-0600, Ann Arbor, MI
