Congratulations to the Winners of the
2024 IESNYC Student Lighting Competition

The IESNYC is pleased to announce Evan Wu from Pratt Institute, as the Grand Prize winner for his lighting project "Taiwan Blvd.“ 

The 2024 IESNYC Student Lighting Competition, which took place during the LEDucation Trade Show and Conference on March 19th, showcased the exceptional talent and creativity of over 165 students from design colleges and universities across the city.

This year's competition theme, "Proximal Light," challenged students to explore the role of light in fostering closeness and intimacy in our increasingly digital world. From bustling night markets to urban skylines, students presented innovative projects that captured the essence of proximal light and its ability to create meaningful connections.

Shaun Fillion, LC, Educator IALD CLCP and co-chair of the Student Lighting Competition, commended the students' dedication and creativity, remarking, "The level of innovation and ingenuity displayed by the students in this year's competition is inspiring. It's remarkable to see how they've embraced the theme of proximal light and translated it into captivating designs that evoke emotion and connection. We take pride in providing a platform through the Student Lighting Competition, where students not only benefit from professionals viewing their projects but also from exploring the LEDucation show, gaining firsthand exposure to the scale and vibrancy of the lighting industry."

Grand Prize Winner
"Taiwan Blvd“ by Evan Wu, Pratt Institute

Taiwan Boulevard lies a spirited homage to the vibrant streets of Taiwan. Unfused with the intrinsic values or warmth and conviviality deeply rooted in our culture. Blurred illuminated signage makes the passage down Taiwan Boulevard feel like a visual assault from the brightness of the market. The signs are designed in perspective to compress the street while creating a sense of space. The tight walkway are reminiscent to the crowdedness of a market. Street sounds are added to increase the lively memory and overall ambience. Taiwan Boulevard echo the essence of a bustling night market. Drawing inspiration from the pulsating energy and intimate human connections found amidst the labyrinthine lanes of Taiwanese night market, this illuminates the significance of proximity and interaction. Just as the flickering lights of the night market guide visitors through a sensory journey, Taiwan Boulevard serves as a beacon, igniting the spirit of camaraderie and shared experiences. VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

Second Place
“Castles in the Cloud” by Thalia Lee, Pratt Institute

Castles in the Cloud offers the experience of approaching a city, capturing the moment of anticipation as the glittering lights of a skyline rise up to meet you. Squares of light and colour pepper the cityscape, emulating the pockets of different lives and realities held within. On careful examination, the artificial and constructed nature of the city is what enables its halo. Organic shapes are drawn with the curved brush of metal honeycombs, while lustrous vinyl winks at the towering metal and acrylic facades. Waves of colour and motion weave through the cityscape painted from projections of AI-generated and data-based artwork, emulating the dynamic swells and vibrant expectancy of its inhabitants renewing their commitment to their urban rituals. Like moths to a flame, we have long been enticed by the allure of bright city lights and the glimmer of possibility they hold. On approach, we are initially drawn in by the looming silhouette behind the skyline itself. This is a portrait of a modern city and the duality it represents: a place formed from layer upon layer of transparency and reflection, whose sparkling promises are as much in the eye of the beholder as in the explicit reality of our surroundings. Crafted out of mesh and uniform squares emulating pixels, Castles in the Cloud contemplates this tension between fantasy and physical amid a growing blending of realities between digital and physical, cloud and steel, abstract and actual. It invites us to examine our relationship with the halo of promise and the filter of expectation. There is no closer contact, no denser population than the urban environment, yet what do we know about the seemingly sparkling lives that own the shoulders we brush by everyday? How much of our impressions are grounded, and how much are projections? How much of the allure that we experience is real, or our own castles in the air? VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

Third Place
"Chromatic Connections" by Jude Fox, Pratt Institute

In today's world, many if not most of our interactions with people are usually through a screen. When we are interacting online with other people we often are not able to grasp the entirety of who they are, just what we attempt to make sense of through the digital world. Experiences and interactions with others cannot always be fully appreciated when looking at a screen, you need to be there, surrounded by all the senses and emotions. This idea of the importance of being immersed physically in an experience is what I wanted to portray through this lighting piece. When using fiber optic cables, the light is trapped within the cable as it passes through to the end, just as information is transmitted through the digital realm during our online interactions. Because of this, you cannot see the light traveling through the cables from a distance or looking at the side. To grasp the full effect and all the colors, you have to immerse yourself in the hanging cables. When you finally stand within the cables, you can look up and experience the light traveling through, feeling the illumination passing through and around you. The visuals, feelings, sounds, and all other sensory aspects of this encounter fully immerse the individual, creating a profound understanding of the experience. This depth of engagement is what makes every physical interaction between people something that cannot be replicated digitally. VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

Honorable Mention
"The Dance of Light" by Oliver Sullivan, Pratt Institute

VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

Honorable Mention
"Infinite Unity" by Mohammad Valizadeh Alvan, Parsons The New School for Design

VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

Honorable Mention
"S-LIFE" by Huien Yin, New York School of Interior Design

VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

Honorable Mention
"Mailing Intimacy" by Audra Castle, Pratt Institute

VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

Honorable Mention
"Lux et Veritas (Light & Truth)" by Anna Zhou and Jean Chen, Parsons The New School for Design

VIEW COMPLETE PROJECT

About the IESNYC Student Competition

The IESNYC Student Lighting Competition is dedicated to our founder, Patricia DiMaggio. As an NYC educator and past president of IESNYC, we uphold Patricia’s goals of education, community, and friendly competition. Having grown from 8 students in 2000 to over 100 students today, it is a legacy which will continue to grow with all your support.

One of the goals of the IESNYC is to promote education and greater awareness about the importance of lighting and the Student Competition is one of the contributors towards these efforts. Since 2000, they have invited students from New York City Art and Design schools to participate in a city wide design competition. The competition empowers students to explore light as an art form, demonstrate light as a stimulus, and prove light as a valuable medium. Every year, students in lighting, architecture, interior design, art, product design, photography and electrical engineering programs have submitted projects, resulting in a diverse showcase of ideas and interpretations on a single theme. The IESNYC Student Competition has been incorporated into the curriculum lighting classes in several area schools and has piqued an interest in lighting design of close to a thousand design students to date.

Student Eligibility: Students must be attending a design college or university located in the five boroughs of New York City, or the New York counties of the former Mid-Hudson Section (Columbia, Dutchess, Green, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester) are eligible to submit, regardless of residency

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]