The LUCI Association has launched the third edition of its LUCI Cities & Lighting Awards.
The launch, which coincides with today’s International Day of Light, is designed to spotlight high-impact urban lighting projects that have had positive effects on the economic, social, and cultural development of cities.
In particular, the awards aim to celebrate projects that have improved sustainability and quality of life.
Started in 2022, the biennial awards are tailored towards cities and local authorities, and are judged primarily on three areas:
- Project design – clarity of intention and objectives
- Implementation – quality of the process and cooperation
- Evaluation – overall impact on sustainability & quality of life
The winning cities will receive high international recognition for their work. Awarded projects will be highlighted as case studies within LUCI’s events and communication channels, adding to the long-term collective knowledge shared with cities internationally, the association said.
The third entry awards also incorporate the goals of the ‘LUCI Declaration for the Future of Urban Lighting’, which was adopted by the LUCI network in 2023.
The deadline for entries is 1 October 2025, with the winners set to be announced during the next LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit in Oulu, Finland, at the end of February 2026.
Applications should be made to awards@luciassociation.org but full details and an application pack can be found at https://www.luciassociation.org/initiatives/luci-cities-lighting-awards/call-for-entries-2026/
The second edition of the awards, in 2024, awarded inspiring projects from the cities of Genoa (which was the winning entry, and pictured above), Eskilstuna, and Bologna.
The UNESCO International Day of Light is celebrated on 16 May each year, on the anniversary of the first successful laser surgery in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman.
Image: Silvio Badalotti
