The 2024 LIT Lighting Design Awards unveiled an extraordinary lineup of winners, celebrating the finest achievements in lighting design from around the world. Now in its 8th edition, the awards drew over 800 submissions from 58 countries, spotlighting cutting-edge innovation, sustainability, and creativity in the field. Judged by an esteemed panel of 35 industry experts, the winners represent the forefront of architectural, entertainment, product, and emerging lighting design.
A highlight of this year’s awards was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Allen Lee Hughes, a luminary in theatrical lighting design. With a career spanning over five decades, Hughes’ work has redefined storytelling through light, earning him accolades on Broadway and beyond. His contributions continue to inspire and elevate the global lighting design community.
From intricate museum exhibitions to sustainable product innovations and immersive light installations, the 2024 winners demonstrate the transformative power of light in shaping experiences and environments. The LIT Lighting Design Awards not only honor these remarkable achievements but also highlight the field’s role in driving innovation and artistic expression.
For a complete list of winners and insights into their groundbreaking projects, visit https://litawards.com/.
ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING DESIGN OF THE YEAR 2024: Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto
Company: Studio ZNA
Lead Designers: Zerlina Hughes
Other Designer’s names: Saumya Monga
Architecture Company: Amanda Levete
Interior Design Company: Storey Studio
Client: Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington
Photo Credits: Thomas Adank
Other Credits :Graphic Design: The Bon Ton, Sound Design: Coda to Coda
Completion Date: 16/09/2023
Project Location: London
ENTERTAINMENT LIGHTING DESIGN OF THE YEAR 2024: The Creation
Company: Lucent
Lead Designer: Takahiro Matsuo
Photo Credits: LUCENT
Completion: Date May.2023
Project Location: Suzhou,China
This spectacular “The Creation” installation features light, shapes, and sound. It is composed of three scenes: “Birth,” “Shine,” and “Vortex.” The design was initially conceived using digital computer graphics and physical simulations to create a galaxy-like density of dots. Along the 3D coordinate positions, approximately 20,000 acrylic spheres of varying sizes, both transparent and translucent, were positioned. Twelve projection units surrounding the spheres generate numerous light clusters that flicker and transform intensely, sometimes merging into a massive light formation.
LIGHTING PRODUCT DESIGN OF THE YEAR 2024: Pipe Lighting
Company: Pipe Lighting Gmbh
Lead Designers: Eduard Bochanov, Evgenij Vetlugin
Project Location: Hamburg, Germany
Having worked on film shoots in the lighting department, we have seen a variety of lighting challenges on set that have been solved with a number of very different light sources, diffusers, and support devices. These solutions are interdependent and often cumbersome and require additional support systems, bulky transportation, a lot of crew members and plenty of installation time. That’s why we came up with a device that solves a number of basic problems in lighting on film sets. The shape and rigidity of our products are provided with air inside the shell. As a result, the soft shell becomes the supporting structure for the light source – LED stripes inside of the device.
EMERGING DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR 2024
University: Vilnius Academy of Arts
Lead Designer: Vaida Atkocaityte-Dalisanskiene
Other Designer’s names: Professor Saulius Jusionis
Photo Credits: Vaidotas Darulis
Project Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
The lighting composition ‘MOOD’ is one of two compositions, namely ‘Mood’ and ‘Mini Mood’. The purpose and design principles of light compositions are similar; only their sizes and the compositions themselves differ. Primary goal in designing these lamps was to enable every interior owner to become an artist who can craft compositions of varying colors and shapes using light. This can be tailored to their mood or the day-night cycle.
University: California College of The Arts
Lead Designer: David Yang
Other Designer’s names: Margo Majewska
Other Credits: Margo Majewska, Senior Adjunct Professor / Lighting Design
Project Location San Francisco
This project encompasses light art and lighting design for a San Francisco gallery. The design draws inspiration from nature, specifically the deep canyons of the Southwest and the nautilus pattern, symbolizing growth, expansion, and renewal. The entire environment is dimly lit with recessed lighting, creating soft, diffused illumination. Strategically placed backlit surfaces mimic the glow of sunlight filtering through rock crevices, enhancing the sense of depth and mystery.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2024: Allen Lee Hughes
The 2024 LIT Lighting Design Awards honored Allen Lee Hughes with the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his extraordinary five-decade career in theatre, opera, and dance. Renowned for his seamless blend of technical precision and emotional depth, Hughes has designed lighting for twelve Broadway productions, earning four Tony Award nominations, and collaborated with prestigious companies such as the American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. A mentor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and a champion for diversity through the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship, his influence continues to shape the industry. Reflecting on the honor, Hughes remarked, “It is great to have recognition for fifty-six years of professional work… I appreciate you giving the efforts public attention.”
Click here to view all award winners and learn more. All images and content are courtesy of the LIT Lighting Design Awards.
