August 20, 2025
Not Just Another Plaque on the Wall
New industry awards program honors best in lighting product design with distinction, prestige
The lighting industry has no shortage of awards. But what it’s long lacked is a space where product distinction, true product distinction, is held to the same standard as architectural design.
That standard already exists in programs like the IES Illumination Awards, which honor outstanding lighting design work at both the international and local levels, and the IALD International Lighting Design Awards, a cornerstone of global recognition for architectural lighting talent. These programs have elevated the discipline of architectural lighting design for decades, spotlighting projects that blend creativity, craft, and technical mastery.
But products — the components, luminaires, controls, and systems that make those designs possible — have rarely been judged with the same degree of focus or selectivity. Until now.
Enter the LUMY Awards, which launch today.
A Different Kind of Spotlight
Every LUMY submission goes through a rigorous, criteria-based review led by an independent panel of industry experts. From that process, four standout finalists are named in each category — products that rise above the noise and signal real innovation. Then, after a second round of judging, just one winner per category emerges.
- Indoor Luminaires
- Outdoor Luminaires
- Lighting Controls
- Stocked Goods
- Lamps
- Components
There are no participation trophies. Just four finalists and one winning product in each category, evaluated by an independent panel of experts who bring deep lighting knowledge and a sense of clarity about what makes a product not just good — but significant.
Submissions will be reviewed using a structured, criteria-driven process. No sponsorship benefits. No blurred lines between editorial and judging. The LUMYs are presented by Inside Lighting, which promotes but does not participate in the selection process.
It’s lighting product evaluation, divorced from pay-to-play.
Why Now?
This idea didn’t come out of nowhere. It came from a very real gap.
LEDs Magazine ceased publication last year, and its BrightStar Awards disappeared with it. Additionally, LightFair’s Innovation Awards adopted a biennial format with eligibility tied to exhibiting brands — a group that, in recent years, has represented a smaller share of the market. Together, those changes left no North American awards program focused on lighting products that combined credibility with broad eligibility and reach.
The LUMY Awards are an attempt to fill that lane. Not by replacing what came before — but by doing something fundamentally different. More focused. Less crowded.
Revealing Slowly, Intentionally
Over the coming weeks, LUMY will introduce its six judges one at a time. Each brings a different angle of industry expertise. The judging panel is deliberately curated, and the rollout deliberately paced.
Later this fall, once the four finalists in each category are revealed, the program will open to a “Voice of the People” vote: a seventh vote, weighted at one-seventh (14%) of the final outcome. Enough to give the broader industry a say. Not enough to dilute the judgment of the panel.
And for those attending the IES Annual Conference this week or ArchLIGHT Summit in mid-September, you might catch an early glimpse of the LUMY trophy itself — an elegantly sculpted, 8½ pound symbol of distinction. But the full public reveal? That’s coming in early October.
This isn’t a popularity contest. It’s a professional one — with room for industry voices, but led by seasoned hands.
The Value of Recognition
The LUMYs don’t aim to disrupt everything. They exist alongside legacy awards that celebrate the best of lighting design. But they serve a different role: spotlighting the products themselves, and the teams behind them, with rigor and restraint.
Because if everything wins, nothing does. And sometimes the strongest statement an award can make is how few it gives out.
