November 2026 
IESNYC Events
Annual Lighting Industry Holiday Party
Save the Date! December 3rd
Save the Date and get ready to celebrate the holiday season with your friends, colleagues, and fellow lighting industry professionals!
Stay tuned for Details
Announcements
2027 IESNYC Lumen Awards
Open for Submissions
Deadline: January 8, 2027. The 2027 IESNYC Lumen Awards are officially open for submissions, and we’re looking for projects that showcase the creativity, innovation, and artistry of exceptional lighting design. Designers, gather your project details and submit today. Your next award-winning project could be the one everyone is talking about. DETAILS
2027 IESNYC Student Lighting Competition Theme Revealed
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. LEARN MORE
Meet Our Member
Soumya Undavalli
Lighting Associate, Light Abilities
For a someone new, IESNYC is a world full of opportunities. When I was starting out in India, there was very little awareness of lighting design as a profession, and even fewer people practicing it as a specialty. Here, there is a whole world that gathers in one room, and everyone is approachable no matter where you are in your career. It is not just a professional organization you join. It shows you the entire field at once and lets you find your place in it.
"The IESNYC opens doors, and then it makes sure you do not walk through them alone." READ MORE
Fabric of our Society
Preparing Emerging Lighting Professionals in the Era of AI
Peter Ngai
Lighting Innovation Mentor and Consultant
As AI continues to transform the lighting industry, it raises an important question for emerging professionals: "If AI can provide so much knowledge and do so much of the work, what should a young professional learn to do?" According to Peter Ngai, the fundamentals of becoming a successful professional remain unchanged—and may be more essential than ever. He explores seven key fundamentals that continue to shape professional growth and success in an AI-driven world. READ MORE
In Case You Missed It
2026 Richard Kelly Grant Recipient
Zora Liu, a Ph.D. candidate in Architectural Engineering at Penn State, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Richard Kelly Grant in recognition of her creative and thoughtful approach to the art and science of illumination. Her research explores how people perceive and respond to light in nighttime environments, with a particular focus on visual perception, color, visibility, navigation, and the ecological impacts of artificial light at night. READ MORE
Other Events
IES Webinar: Light + Justice Symposium: Spaces of Incarceration
November 4, 2026. This one-day virtual symposium is dedicated to position light and darkness as designed, time-based conditions essential to neurological recovery. Participants will receive 4.5 CEUs Learn More / Register
Registration Open: 2026 IES Street & Area Lighting Conference
November 8-11. Join IES in Phoenix for the only forum specific to the interests and challenges facing outdoor lighting professionals. Learn More
Chip Israel Gateway Grant
November 11, 2026. Join the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education for an interactive webinar session on the Chip Israel Gateway Grant, a funding opportunity designed to increase enrollment in lighting education throughout North America. Learn More / Register
IES Webinar Discover Your IES Resources: Lighting Library, IES Lens, and eLearning
November 12, 2026. Whether you’ve been learning with IES for years or are exploring our resources for the first time, join us for a free webinar open to all. Learn More / Register
2026 IESNYC Event and Educational Sponsors
Brilliant Sponsor
Radiant Sponsors
Glow Sponsors
Sparkle Sponsors
Lutron Electronics | Light Abilities
Twinkle Sponsors
Available Light | Hartranft Lighting Design | HLB Lighting Design
KGM Architectural Lighting | MGE Lighting Design Collaborative | Pierce Lighting Studio
