Sapphire Awards 'shortlist' speaks volumes about SSL innovation (MAGAZINE) (UPDATED)

Feb. 14, 2018
Carrie Meadows reports the finalists in the fourth annual LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards program, which recognizes and rewards the passion and forward thinking that inspires professionals across all sectors of the SSL market to continue to innovate and rethink function, design, and future potential.

CARRIE MEADOWS reports the finalists in the fourth annual LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards program, which recognizes and rewards the passion and forward thinking that inspires professionals across all sectors of the SSL market to continue to innovate and rethink function, design, and future potential.

The fourth annual LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards program closed out 2017 by announcing the finalists across 20 technology and application categories, highlighting the industry influencers who will get the chance to raise a trophy at the February 14th Gala aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.

The 'shortlist' of finalists in this year's Sapphire Awards program speaks volumes about the level of innovation and leadership in the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) community. Of course, there are many well-established names here and we expected as much, with the number of products that were announced within the past year. What is even more compelling is the list of companies that we may find less familiar but that have no less drive and passion for illuminating the world and pushing the boundaries of SSL into emerging applications. We look forward to seeing those names attached to further developments that escalate the viability of SSL technologies…and provide the stimulus for new markets.

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The products recognized as finalists are responsible for breaking through technical barriers, achieving new levels of performance, reliability, light quality, cost reductions, and other features that deliver on the potential of lighting in applications from healthier and smarter buildings to smart cities to horticultural operations. This year, our expert judging panel saw an expansion of SSL products that are designed to positively influence human health and wellbeing. And we're pleased to see that the industry has maintained quality design in power components and controls that address needs across varying levels of complexity for SSL system implementation.

Switching gears a little, the Illumineer of the Year represents an individual or team who has developed innovative technology that enables high-quality lighting products while lowering operational and/or product costs. The technology may not yet be evident in commercially available products but would need to demonstrate commercial viability and value under our judges' criteria.

New for 2018, lighting project finalists were organized into two sub-categories - SSL smart lighting projects and SSL outdoor lighting finalists. Submissions were open to lighting designers, specifiers, and companies wishing to nominate an SSL project that used their products. Projects were considered on the use of products to achieve results that could not be delivered via traditional light sources and control methods, as well as energy efficiency, cost reductions, and other return-on-investment (ROI) characteristics enabled by such projects.

The feats of product development and project engineering that were nominated were certainly inspiring. "The judges' decision was no easy task," said Maury Wright, chief editor of LEDs Magazine and chair of the Sapphire Awards judging panel. "But we rely on an incredible cross-section of experience and expertise in the SSL sector to help guide this program in recognizing outstanding work that delivers on the potential of LED lighting and enabling technologies."

The comprehensive shortlist follows. Congratulations to all the finalists; we look forward to seeing everyone on the blue carpet at the Sapphire Awards Gala.

Taking place during the Strategies in Light conference and exhibition, co-located with The LED Show and Lightspace California, the Sapphire Awards Gala will present an exciting networking opportunity in a spectacular venue with great food and entertainment. Although the competition is fierce, attendees will enjoy the prospect of meeting with PennWell's LED & Lighting Network team and fellow industry professionals in the spirit of camaraderie and celebration of SSL achievements over the past year. Visit the Sapphire Awards website at ledsmagazine.com/sapphireawards for more background on the program.

Sapphire Awards

Packaged LEDs and OLEDs

βˆ™ Bridgelux / Vesta Dim-To-Warm COB
βˆ™ Lumileds / Luxeon L1V1 CSP LED Series
βˆ™ Osram Opto Semiconductors / Osconiq P 3737 3W
βˆ™ Samsung Electronics LED / LH351C LED

Modular LED Light Engines

βˆ™ Bridgelux / Vesta Tunable White Arrays
βˆ™ Fulham / Universal Voltage DirectAC LED Engines
βˆ™ Lumileds / Matrix Platform Advanced Technologies
βˆ™ Samsung Electronics LED / Q-Series Linear Modules
βˆ™ SoraaLaser / LaserLight Fiber Module

ICs and Electronic Components for SSL

βˆ™ ams / AS7225 Tunable White Smart Sensor
βˆ™ Infineon Technologies / ICL5102 PFC+Resonant Controller
βˆ™ Maxim Integrated / MAX20078 Synchronous Buck Controller

Constant Current LED Drivers

βˆ™ Artesyn Embedded Technologies / iHP Series High Power System
βˆ™ ERP Power / CDB Series
βˆ™ Inventronics / ESD-600S
βˆ™ Osram / Optotronic Programmable LED Emergency Driver

Constant Voltage LED Drivers

βˆ™ Elemental LED / Omnidrive 2
βˆ™ ERP Power / VLM Series
βˆ™ Optic Arts / VintageDim

SSL Enabling Technologies - Optics, thermal, interconnect, etc.

βˆ™ Gaggione / LLC66x7 Silicone Collimator Range
βˆ™ LensVector / LVS3-48 Liquid Crystal Lens
βˆ™ Luminit / Double-sided Batwing Light Shaping Diffuser
βˆ™ TE Connectivity / Lumawise Z50 Drive LED Holder

Tools and Tests in SSL Design

βˆ™ Gamma Scientific / RS-7-7 SpectralLED Tunable LED Light Booth
βˆ™ GL Optic / Spectis 1 Touch Flicker Meter
βˆ™ United Power Research Technology Corp. / UPRtek PG100N Spectral PAR Meter

Smart and Connected SSL Enabling Technologies

βˆ™ LED Roadway Lighting / T100 Toolless Sensor Platform
βˆ™ McWong International, Inc. / PacWave Smart Sensor Control Platform
βˆ™ Osram Digital Lighting Systems / Connected Lighting Module and Optotronic Driver
βˆ™ Samsung Electronics LED / Samsung LED Smart Lighting Platform

Smart and Connected SSL Systems

βˆ™ Eaton / WaveLinx Wireless Connected Lighting System
βˆ™ Echelon Corporation / LumInsight 2 Central Management System
βˆ™ Lumenpulse Group Inc. / Lumentalk Power Line Communications Platform

Residential SSL Lamp and Luminaire Design

βˆ™ Cerno / Revelite Art Light
βˆ™ LEDvance / Sylvania Smart+ LED Strip
βˆ™ LEDvance / Sylvania Smart+ A19 Filament
βˆ™ MaxLite / LED LiteBars

Commercial-Quality SSL Lamp Design

βˆ™ Filamento / Valto High Bay LED Lamp
βˆ™ Green Creative / Refine Series PAR38
βˆ™ Keystone Technologies / Dimmable DirectDrive T8

Indoor Ambient, Cove, and Accent SSL Luminaire Design

βˆ™ Elemental LED / SPOTMOD SLIK LED Panels
βˆ™ The Lighting Quotient / elliptipar S43x Indirect Luminaire
βˆ™ Soraa / Soraa Arc Adjustable Luminaire
βˆ™ Tempo / pr1meFX Cove
βˆ™ Vode Lighting / ZipThree 707 Wall Mount

Indoor Decorative Pendant Luminaire Design

βˆ™ Acolyte LED / Synthesis LED Linear
βˆ™ Fluxwerx / Spoke
βˆ™ Focal Point / Obscura
βˆ™ Litecontrol, a Hubbell Lighting brand / Inde-Pendants 32L
βˆ™ Zumtobel / Ondaria

Indoor Troffer and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design

βˆ™ DMF Lighting / DRD4M and OneFrame
βˆ™ JLC-Tech / T-BAR LED Asymmetrical Wall Wash
βˆ™ Kichler / Horizon 43855WHLED30T Downlight
βˆ™ Zumtobel / Mellow Light Infinity

Industrial SSL Luminaire Design

βˆ™ Flex Lighting Solutions / Essentials Series 4.0 LED High Bay
βˆ™ Hubbell Industrial Lighting, a Hubbell Lighting brand / SpectraLoc Highbay
βˆ™ Zumtobel / Craft

Outdoor Landscape and Architectural SSL Design

βˆ™ Architectural Area Lighting, a Hubbell Lighting brand / Cypher Wall Sconce
βˆ™ Elemental LED / Infiniline 2 LED Strip Light
βˆ™ Kichler / 12V LED Accent with Variable Lumen Output
βˆ™ Lumenpulse / LumenfaΓ§ade

Outdoor Street and Area SSL Luminaire Design

βˆ™ cBright Lighting / Apex Pro LED Sports Flood
βˆ™ Dual-Lite and Hubbell Outdoor Lighting / GeoPak LED Wallpack
βˆ™ Kenall Manufacturing / SenScape SPG18 Series
βˆ™ MaxLite / Mpulse Surface Mount Luminaire

Specialty SSL Design

βˆ™ Fraen Corporation / Embedded Optic Module OM003-0100
βˆ™ Traxon Technologies, an Osram brand / Dot XLQ-8 RGBW Module
βˆ™ Unilux / LED2000 with Smart Assist

Horticultural Lighting

βˆ™ Active Grow LLC / Sweet Grass Series
βˆ™ Lumigrow Inc. / LumiGrow Smart Horticultural LED Lighting
βˆ™ Lumileds / Luxeon SunPlus COB Series
βˆ™ Osram Opto Semiconductors / Oslon Square Hyper Red
βˆ™ Plessey Semiconductor / Hyperion LED Grow Light

Lighting for Health and Wellbeing

βˆ™ Hubbell Healthcare Solutions, a Hubbell Lighting brand / Evexia
βˆ™ Kenall Manufacturing / Indigo-Clean Luminaire Series
βˆ™ Ketra / Ketra Linear Luminaire Series

SSL SMART LIGHTING PROJECT FINALISTS

βˆ™ Chess Wise, Chemelot Chemical Plant in the Netherlands
βˆ™ Enlighted, Cheshire Public Schools in central Connecticut

SSL OUTDOOR LIGHTING PROJECT FINALISTS

βˆ™ Hubbell Lighting, Karl Chevrolet, Ankeny, IA
βˆ™ StandardVision, Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles, CA

ILLUMINEER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

βˆ™ Tanuj Mohan, chief technology officer and co-founder, Enlighted - Enlighted Smart Lighting Systems
βˆ™ Tom Warton and George Mieling, co-founders; Scott Yu, principal and chief creative officer, Vode Lighting - Rail Lighting System Optics
βˆ™ Shuji Nakamura, chief technology officer and co-founder; James Raring, general manager and co-founder; Eric Goutain, product engineering director; Troy Trottier, material science consultant; Paul Rudy, senior vice president and co-founder, SoraaLaser - LaserLight Fiber Module

2017 PANEL OF INDUSTRY LEADERS

LEDs Magazine would like to thank its judges for their invaluable insight and expertise in evaluating the Sapphire Awards submissions. Contact us at [email protected] if you're interested in judging the next wave for 2019!

Maury Wright - LEDs Magazine

Ian Ashdown - SunTracker Technologies

Jim Benya - Benya Burnett Consultancy

Carl Bloomfield - Intertek

Deborah Burnett - Benya Burnett Consultancy

Terry Clark - Finelite

Daryl DeJean - Emerging Technologies Associates

Jerry Duffy - GE Lighting

Rob Empfield - Prudential Lighting

Austin Gelder - UL

Rachel Gibney - Available Light

Monica Hansen - LED Lighting Advisors

Eric Haugaard - Cree

James Highgate - The LED Show

Chip Israel - Lighting Design Alliance

Duncan Jackson - Billings Jackson Design

Brad Koerner - Philips Lighting

Rita Koltai - Koltai Lighting Design

Therese - Lahaie Apparatus Design

Dave Neal - Seoul Semiconductor

Steve Paolini - Telelumen

Kris Sandheinrich - KGM Lighting

Charles Schrama - Lumileds

Milena Simeonova - LiteHeal

Philip Smallwood - Strategies Unlimited

Robert Steele - Strategies Unlimited

Terrence Walsh - Tempo Industries

*Updated Feb. 22, 2018 for product part no. correction.

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.