Prestigious Awards Ceremony of the LIT Lighting Design Awards at the Museum of the Acropolis, Athens

The international lighting design community celebrated the winners of the LIT Lighting Design  Awards at a distinguished awards ceremony.  

Professional and emerging Lighting Designers, whose outstanding work has earned them the  prestigious Lighting Award, were celebrated at the renowned LIT Lighting Design Awards on Monday,  30th of May at the prestigious Museum of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.  

The new Acropolis lighting, realized by “Eleftheria Deko & Associates”, won the “2021 LIT Lighting  Design of the year”, and on this special occasion the LIT Lighting Design Awards had the illustrious  privilege of hosting the Award ceremony at the Museum of the Acropolis to honor the LIT Awards  Winners and enjoy the magnificent view of the UNESCO World Heritage site.  

The internationally renowned prize is awarded to companies and designers are challenging norms and  pushing boundaries to bring their lighting vision to reality.  

The ceremony and cocktail reception were attended by over 100 guests from 17 countries,  representing the very finest in Lighting Design.  

The ceremony was officially opened by the Greece Minister of Culture and Sports, Dr Lina Mendoni,  speaking about the symbolism of the Acropolis for Western Civilization and the impact of Eleftheria  Deko’s work.

“The lighting now highlights the entire Sacred Rock, the Walls, the volume, the geometry  of each monument, from every possible point of view. The marbles, whiter than ever, reflect the natural  material, exalt every aspect, every shape, emphasize the relief of the decoration of every monument.” 

“The new lighting is gaining international recognition by art and lighting experts  worldwide.”  

Over the course of the evening, the LIT Awards “Design of the Year”, Lifetime Achievement recipients  and Spotlight prizes were awarded.  

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2021 Winners  

Eleftheria Deko received the “Lighting Design of the Year” award for the new lighting of the Acropolis  of Athens and Monuments, while the California-based designer Charles Prograce was awarded for the  “Lighting Product Design of the Year” for the Opteris Chandelier. 

The student design projects of Congrui Gao, “Emerging Lighting Designer of the Year” and Jay Burnett,  “Emerging Lighting Product Designer of the Year” were presented and well received by the audience.  

Craig A. Bernecker, Professor of Lighting Design at Parsons School of Design and Tony Lawrence,  Product Designers from Concord Lighting were presented with the “Lifetime Achievement” Awards by  Randy Reid, the editor at designing lighting magazine and LIT Awards Jury Member.  

LUCI Association, a non-profit organization bringing together over 70 member towns worldwide that  use light as a tool for social, cultural and economic development; was honored for its contribution to  the Lighting Industry and to our cities with the “Spotlight Prize”.  

LIT Lighting Design Awards 2020 Winners

Niamh Barry was honored with the “Lighting Product Design of the Year” for her lighting creation  “Artists Hands”, while Erin Held from Chartersills received the “Lighting Design of the Year” for the  Union Station Great Hall Restoration project in Chicago.  

The young designers, Swathi Madhi, Samriti Gosain and Neeraj R Jawale received the emerging  designers’ prizes.  

The work and contribution of the “Lifetime Achievement” recipients of 2020 were celebrated; Sally  Storey, Director of John Cullen Lighting and Founder of Lighting Design International company as well  as Professor Wout van Bommel for his research on lighting application.  

Last, “Women in Lighting” (WIL), an inspirational digital platform that profiles women working in the  field of lighting design received the spotlight prize for 2020. Katia Kolovea, the communication  specialist of the project shared a few words on the initiative and the development of their network.  

“The LIT Lighting Design Awards ceremony was an unforgettable event, possibly one of the most  significant celebrations of the Lighting industry this year.”

said Astrid Hébert, Director of the LIT Awards

“Gathering over 100 of the most creative lighting designers from around the world,  in the Western birthplace of Art, in front of the Acropolis of Athens, has been extraordinary”.  

The ceremony was also attended by Mr Papadimitriou, President of the Onassis Foundation, Mr  Didaskalou, the Secretary-General of Culture at the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and LIT Awards Jury  Members. 

Registration for the LIT Lighting Design Awards 2020 is already open and will close on October 22nd, 2022.  


About LIT Lighting Design Awards  
The LIT Lighting Design Awards ™ was created to recognize the efforts of talented international  lighting product designers and lighting implementers. We believe that lighting is both an art and a  science, and it is one of the most important elements of design. The LIT Awards envisioned to  celebrate creativity and innovation in the fields of lighting products and applications.