BREAKING NEWS: LEDs Magazine reveals 2021 Sapphire Awards winners (UPDATED)

Aug. 24, 2021
In the 7th annual program, lighting and controls excellence was acknowledged across 17 product categories and four networked lighting controls projects, along with the prestigious Illumineer of the Year for innovation in technology.

At the end of day one of the online Strategies in Light conference, attendees from around the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) industry gathered in a virtual setting to learn which products, projects, and innovators would win LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards honors.

Germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) technology and connected lighting played an increasing role in this year’s program, with the addition of the UV LEDs and Systems product category as well as the Design Excellence awards of recognition. In partnership with representatives of the Lighting Control Association, Sapphire Awards team members evaluated project submissions for innovative use of networked lighting controls (NLC). Four projects received awards of recognition for Design Excellence this year, presented by associate editor Carrie Meadows, followed by the Sapphire Awards presentation by chief editor Maury Wright.

Wright noted, “Global events may have impacted businesses and individuals around the world, but innovation is still thriving, and the best minds in the LED and SSL supply chain have pushed through many roadblocks in the past year to help move this industry forward.”

Related: 2021 Sapphire Awards finalists build out SSL roadmap toward design flexibility

Following is the list of Design Excellence awards recipients and Sapphire Award winners. Please join the LEDs Magazine and Lighting Controls Association teams in congratulating the honorees for their achievements.

Design Excellence in Networked Lighting Controls Award for LLLC

Minnesota Class A Office Building — Energy Management Collaborative

Design Excellence in Networked Lighting Controls Award for Automation

PDI Fuse Building — Power Design Engineering

Design Excellence in Networked Lighting Controls for Energy Management

Ontario Association of Architects — Gottesman Associates and WSP Toronto

Design Excellence in Networked Lighting Controls for Integration

Glover Cary Bridge — AECOM

Illumineer of the Year

Dwight Stewart, founder and CTO, with acknowledgment to his team at Igor — For hardware and software, controls, and UV-C technology integration in Igor's Nexos Intelligent Disinfection platform

  • Andrew Pospisal

  • Jaryd Sunstrom

  • Rod Buttermore

  • David Hoxeng

  • Chris Jenson

  • Collin Bakkie

  • Kim Johnson

Packaged LEDs and OLEDs

Nichia Corporation — H6 Series LEDs

Modular LED Light Engines

Xicato — Xicato Intelligent Module (XIM)

LED Drivers

Osram – Digital Systems — Indoor and outdoor D4i/DALI-2 certified programmable LED driver

ICs and Electronic Components for SSL

Maxim Integrated Products — MAX25605 6-Switch sequential LED controller for automotive lighting systems

Emergency SSL Luminaires, Modules, and Drivers

IOTA — IOTA ILBHI emergency driver

Smart and Connected SSL Enabling Technologies

McWong International — TruBlu interoperable Bluetooth-Zhaga-DALI controls

Smart and Connected SSL Systems

Xicato — Xicato Smart Controls

Indoor Cove, Strip, Specialty, and Lamp Design

LED Linear — ULTIMA linear lighting

Indoor Decorative, Wash, and Pendant SSL Luminaire Design

Eureka Lighting — Celeste decorative pendant

Indoor Troffer, Track, and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design

Cooper Lighting Solutions — Metalux Perceive LED Specification Series luminaires

Industrial SSL Luminaire Design

Kenall Manufacturing — SimpleSeal CSERO, SimpleSeal CSERI cleanroom luminaires

Outdoor SSL Luminaire Design

The Lighting Quotient — elliptipar style S151 outdoor adjustable asymmetric luminaire

Specialty SSL Design

Innovations In Optics Inc. — LumiDLP – 35W UV LED DMD illuminator

Horticultural Lighting

Sollum Technologies — SF4 smart LED lighting system

Circadian Lighting Technologies

Lumileds — LUXEON SkyBlue LEDs

UV LEDs and Systems

Igor — Nexos Intelligent Disinfection platform

Visible Light Disinfection Technology

Aleddra LED Lighting — UV-free air-sanitizing desktop lamp

LEDs Magazine thanks all of our sponsors, supporters, and colleagues for enabling us to honor real innovation and exciting advances in the LED and SSL industry with the Sapphire Awards. Stay tuned for our September 2021 issue, which will feature an extended article on the winners and the details on the technologies and projects that exceeded our judges’ expectations. You can also visit https://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/ for additional Design Excellence project coverage in the months to come.

*Updated Aug. 25, 2021 9:00 AM with additional team details for Illumineer of the Year award.

*Updated Aug. 25, 2021 1:25 PM for Cooper product name clarification.

*Updated Aug. 25, 2021 11:18 AM for additional Design Excellence project company.

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About the Author

Carrie Meadows | Editor-in-Chief, LEDs Magazine

Carrie Meadows has more than 20 years of experience in the publishing and media industry. She worked with the PennWell Technology Group for more than 17 years, having been part of the editorial staff at Solid State Technology, Microlithography World, Lightwave, Portable Design, CleanRooms, Laser Focus World, and Vision Systems Design before the group was acquired by current parent company Endeavor Business Media.

Meadows has received finalist recognition for LEDs Magazine in the FOLIO Eddie Awards, and has volunteered as a judge on several B2B editorial awards committees. She received a BA in English literature from Saint Anselm College, and earned thesis honors in the college's Geisel Library. Without the patience to sit down and write a book of her own, she has gladly undertaken the role of editor for the writings of friends and family.

Meadows enjoys living in the beautiful but sometimes unpredictable four seasons of the New England region, volunteering with an animal shelter, reading (of course), and walking with friends and extended "dog family" in her spare time.