We opened entries to our Sapphire Awards program at the start of February this year — the month during which we have typically announced the winners at a fantastic Gala. I had a little trepidation about opening nominations. COVID-19 definitely impacted R&D and innovation especially from early March last year up though the fall when the LED and solid-state lighting sectors (SSL) seemed to regain some footing. I’m happy to report that entries are going well about halfway through the nomination period. We are still getting questions about the program and clearly we still need to refine our documentation going forward, although some of the questions have been about the Sapphire Design Excellence Awards, which are new.
The Sapphire Design Excellence Awards are focused on projects or case studies that use networked lighting controls (NLCs) in innovative ways. The Lighting Controls Association (LCA) has joined us as a co-sponsor of these awards. We would expect that some lighting design firms will submit Design Excellence entries. And we expect technology vendors to submit entries that showcase their products in projects. We are happy to have the LCA as a partner. Still, please understand that entry is not limited to LCA members. The categories are open to all. And all entries will be fairly judged.
As for the legacy Sapphire Awards, little has changed. I would like to emphasize the importance of our Illumineer of the Year Award. That category is intended to be the most important award in the program. And we have had some truly deserving winners. The announcement of the winner will again cap our Gala night in August. Don’t forget your innovative people when you contemplate Sapphire entries. And realize that Illumineer is not a lifetime achievement award. It’s for doing something truly innovative that is coming to fruition in the moment.
The primary question I get about the technology awards is about the categories. Perhaps I just haven’t used the right words on the category headings. But no worries. We will place entries into the right category if they arrive in the wrong category. Do understand that you should only enter a product/technology once. Do not enter the same thing in multiple product categories. On the other hand, there could be a situation where you might enter a product in a technology category, a person or team who developed the product for Illumineer, and a project in which the technology was deployed for Design Excellence.
It won’t be long before we are announcing finalists. You know Strategies in Light week last year was the last time many of us met in person. Our Gala on the Midway aircraft carrier was fantastic. I had no idea at the time that I would soon be isolating at home. At least we had a couple of nice nights out in my hometown to look back on. And I eagerly await seeing the industry crowd back in person come August.
LEDs Magazine chief editor MAURY WRIGHT is an electronics engineer turned technology journalist, who has focused specifically on the LED & Lighting industry for the past decade.
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Maury Wright | Editor in Chief
Maury Wright is an electronics engineer turned technology journalist, who has focused specifically on the LED & Lighting industry for the past decade. Wright first wrote for LEDs Magazine as a contractor in 2010, and took over as Editor-in-Chief in 2012. He has broad experience in technology areas ranging from microprocessors to digital media to wireless networks that he gained over 30 years in the trade press. Wright has experience running global editorial operations, such as during his tenure as worldwide editorial director of EDN Magazine, and has been instrumental in launching publication websites going back to the earliest days of the Internet. Wright has won numerous industry awards, including multiple ASBPE national awards for B2B journalism excellence, and has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards. He received a BS in electrical engineering from Auburn University.
