The LIT Lighting Design Awards have announced the winners of their 8th edition. The awards spotlight remarkable achievements in lighting design across various categories. With over 800 entries from 58 countries, the awards celebrated groundbreaking projects that push the boundaries of innovation and creativity. A jury of 35 industry experts, including architects, designers, academics, and media professionals, evaluated the submissions. Their selections recognized exceptional talent in the field.
Recognizing Pioneering Projects
Among the winners, Studio ZNA, led by Zerlina Hughes, received top honors in Architectural Lighting Design. The award recognized their work on Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The lighting design echoed themes of time and texture, improving the narrative of the exhibit. Takahiro Matsuo of LUCENT was awarded in Entertainment Lighting Design for The Creation, a captivating installation featuring 20,000 suspended acrylic spheres illuminated to evoke the universe’s origins. In Lighting Product Design, Evgenii Vetlugin and Eduard Bochanov of Pipe Lighting GmbH were recognized for an eco-friendly LED system designed for film sets, combining portability and efficiency.
Emerging designers also took center stage. Vaida Atkocaityte-Dalisanskiene from Vilnius Academy of Arts won in Lighting Product Design with MOOD, a modular lamp crafted from sustainable materials, allowing users to create light compositions reflective of emotions and daily rhythms. David Yang and Margo Majewska from California College of the Arts impressed with Light in Motion, a gallery installation inspired by Southwest canyons, showcasing dramatic contrasts and ambient effects. Both emerging designer winners received CHF 1,000 and a six-month Silhouette Awards mentorship.
Honoring a Legend: Allen Lee Hughes
Each year, the LIT Lighting Design Awards recognize a visionary lighting designer with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2024, this honor was awarded to Allen Lee Hughes. His illustrious career spans more than five decades in theatre, opera, and dance. Hughes has designed lighting for 12 Broadway productions. He earned four Tony Award nominations for works like Once on This Island (1990), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (2012), and A Soldier’s Play (2020). His designs combine technical expertise with emotional resonance.
Hughes has also collaborated with renowned companies, including the American Ballet Theatre and the National Ballet of Canada. As an Associate Arts Professor in Design for Stage & Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, he mentors the next generation of lighting designers. His commitment to diversity in the industry is evident through the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship. This program focuses on promoting equity in theatre. On receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Hughes remarked, “The award means a great deal to me and all of my many collaborators. Over the years, I have attempted to help tell hundreds of stories through my work as a lighting designer. There is a glorious feeling when we are rewarded with an audience that reaps pleasure and knowledge from our work.”
Notable Projects Across Categories
This year’s awards showcased diverse projects demonstrating the transformative power of lighting. Nebula by Patrizia Volpato Srl, an artisan glass-blown hanging light, stood out for its craftsmanship, while Whiz 2.0 Bi-directional by Meteor Lighting introduced innovative asymmetric indirect floodlighting. CMA Lighting Design’s Silk Court Apartment and Kabluka Light & Digital Sculptures’ The Soul also earned recognition for their excellence.
Other standout projects included L’Observatoire International’s Coqodaq, which represented sophistication in bar and restaurant lighting. The China Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Biennale, designed by Brandston Partnership Inc., earned honor in the “Visitor Experience & Museum Exhibition” category. Licht Kunst Licht AG’s Casals Forum – Music Quarter in Kronberg received praise for its integration of cultural elements with contemporary lighting techniques. Additional recognition went to dpa Lighting Consultants for their work on Masala Zone at Piccadilly Circus in London. Eleftheria Deko & Associates received recognition for their work lighting the historic Temple of Poseidon in Sounion.
The Vision of the LIT Awards
The LIT Lighting Design Awards honor designers shaping the future of lighting. “With over 800 submissions this year and our 10th anniversary coming up, it’s exciting to see how lighting design continues to transform spaces and inspire change,” said Astrid Hébert, Director of the LIT Lighting Design Awards. She emphasized the significance of honoring Allen Lee Hughes for his exceptional career and his influence on the industry.
See all the winners in our gallery:
About LIT Lighting Design Awards
The LIT Lighting Design Awards is part of the 3C Awards, alongside the BLT Built Design Awards, SIT Furniture Design Award, and LIV Hospitality Design Awards. These programs celebrate innovation in lighting, furniture, interior design, and architecture. They showcase work from professional and emerging designers to a jury of over 100 experts.
