2027 IESNYC Student Lighting Competition

What We Do In The Shadows 

What is NOT lit can be as impactful as what IS lit. Moments of silence in a musical piece make the voiced parts more powerful. Pauses add drama to speech. And light is made more nuanced in contrast to darkness. How can what we do in – and with - the shadows make us appreciate the light? The 2027 theme, What We Do in the Shadows challenges students to explore and investigate the power of light and shadow through the creation- or correction-of a space, an object, a concept, or a combination of all three. 

Submissions Open: December 1, 2026
Deadline: March 19, 2027

Exhibition, Awards and Reception to be held April 2027 at the 
LEDucation Trade Show and Conference, New York City

Stay Tuned for Future Announcements

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.

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