For the past eight years, the New York Section of the illumination Engineer’s Society of North America has invited students from New York City Art and Design schools to participate.  This year it is no different.  With the theme of EVOCATIVE LUMINANCE, we will empower students to explore light as an art form, demonstrate light as a stimulus, and prove light as a valuable medium. Our goal is to both energize today’s students and to inspire them to become future leaders in the lighting industry.

	The objective of this year’s design challenge is to develop a three dimensional study of light, to show how light can be used to trigger an emotion or spark a memory.   Guidelines: Submission should comply with the following requirements Entries can be made of any material. Each entry must include at least one electric light source (no open flame or flammable sources allowed). The piece must be transportable in a cab. Awards: 1st prize: Cash prize of $ 3,000 Plus airfare and accommodation to attend the 2008 Professional Lighting Designers' Association (PLDA) workshop (location to be announced). A one year subscription to Professional Lighting Design Magazine. 2nd Prize: Cash prize of $ 1,500 A one year subscription to Professional Lighting Design Magazine.   3rd Prize: Cash prize of $ 1000 A one year subscription to Professional Lighting Design Magazine.   Attention Students:  Complete online Application  Click Here View additional Submission Guidelines, Entry Instructions, Venue Information, and FAQ Page: Click Here Attention Teachers: View A Special Letter  Click Here
Schedule: Online Application Deadline: Friday, March 28, 2008 Submissions for Judging: Thursday, April 17, 2008 Exhibition Opening Reception and Keynote Address: Thursday, April 17, 2008, speaker to be announced              Reception opens at 6:00 p.m              Speaker begins at 8:00 p.m. Public Exhibition: Friday, April 18 thru Saturday, April 19, 2008              Friday Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.              Saturday Hours: 11:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m. Location Helen Mills 137 - 139 West 26 Street New York City, 10001 For directions, please visit: www.helenmills.com/directions.html Speaker Hervé Descottes Biography: In 1993, Hervé Descottes co-founded the lighting design and consulting firm L'Observatoire International in New York City after eight yearsof design practice in Paris, France.  L'Observatoire International works at the architectural, urban and landscape scale, investigating how lighting can best be employed to reveal scope, space and form, and using the best technology to achieve a functional, creative, and environmental result. Descottes directs a team composed of an international array of professional lighting designers, architects, interior designers, visual artists and graphic designers. The team works worldwide on a variety of public and private projects, including museums, cityscapes, landscapes, commercial spaces, hotels, restaurants and residential houses, with architects such as Steven Holl. Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas, and artists such as James Turrell, Jenny Holzer, Marc Couturier and Vito Acconci. Some of L'Observatoire's prominent projects are: Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art (Helsinki) / Steven Holl Architects Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles) Frank Gehry Architects Highline (New York) / Diller Scofidio + Renfro Pont Du Gard (Vers Pont Du Gard) / James Turrell Awards: In 2003, the Award for Collaborative Achievement in Design was awarded to Hervé Descottes from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).  Also in 2003 he was awarded the Award for Excellence in Design from the Art Commission of New York City for the exterior lighting of the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center - an art institution linked to MoMA.  In 2007 he was awarded the Award of Excellence from the American Society of Landscape Architects for the lighting of the Buffalo Bayou Promenade in Texas. Bibliography: "Ultimate Lighting Design: Projects by Hervé Descottes/ L'Observatoire International", teNeues, 2005. Registration The event is free for all IES and AIA members and students (CEU credits: 1.5 NCQLP LC), however, online registration is required at least two days prior to the event. Registration for non-members is $10. Note: Seating for this event will be limited. To register for the event, for details and updates about the program, or to view past winners and previous year's competitions, please visit: http://www.iesny.org/.
2008 NYC Student Lighting Competition Sponsors:
On behalf of the IESNY we want to thank you for your participation. It will be a great opportunity to see how all the students from the different design backgrounds approach this year’s competition theme. For additional information, submit an email to StudentCompetition@iesny.org 2008 NYC Student Lighting Competition Committee: Chair: Brian Belluomini of Brandston Partnership Vice-Chair: Eleanor Macdonald of Tirschwell & Co.,Inc, Committee Members: Shelley Haniff of Brandston Partnership, Amer Maleh of L'Observatoire International, and Scott Thurm of Bartco Lighting IESNY Board Advisor: Randy Sabedra of RS Lighting Design, and Frank Conti of Enterprise Lighting Sales