The IES Illumination Awards, presented annually by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), an organization with over a century of history, are one of the most prestigious global lighting design awards. Along with the Lighting Design Awards presented by *Lighting* magazine and the IALD Lighting Awards from the International Association of Lighting Designers, the IES Illumination Awards represent the highest level of lighting design worldwide. The IES Illumination Awards are the oldest among these, celebrating professionalism, craftsmanship, and creativity in lighting design. The judging panel consists of experts from various fields, symbolizing knowledge in lighting and excellent design, and the evaluation is based on how well the lighting design meets the award criteria.

On Friday, August 16th, in New York City, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) successfully hosted its annual conference, IES24: The Lighting Conference, where it honored the winners of the 51st Annual Illumination Awards. This prestigious event recognized 10 outstanding lighting projects from around the world, including 3 Special Citations, 4 Awards of Excellence, and 3 Awards of Distinction. This year's winners were globally diverse, highlighting the creativity and variety in lighting design. North America accounted for half of the winners, with 4 projects from the United States and 1 from Canada. The remaining 5 projects hailed from China, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Japan, underscoring the international influence and wide acceptance of the awards.

It is worth noting that the Award of Distinction, recognized as the highest honor for outstanding achievements in lighting design, was awarded to three projects this year: Lightemotion's *West Block*, Tillotson Design Associates' *The Perelman Performing Arts Center at WTC*, and Studio ZNA's *Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto*. These projects exemplify the highest standards in lighting design, seamlessly blending technical excellence with artistic innovation. Among the winners of the Award of Excellence, two projects from China stood out: the *Baoding Time Memory Park Lighting Design* by Beijing Tsinghua Urban Habitat Photonics Institute Co., Ltd., and the *Yixing Hezi Spa Club* by Marugen Lighting Design.