German Lighting Design Award 2026 Celebrates Excellence Across Architecture and Public Spaces
team licht named Lighting Designer of the Year; Licht Kunst Licht receives the Special Jury Award for the exterior lighting of Cologne Cathedral.
The winners of the German Lighting Design Award 2026 (Deutscher Lichtdesign-Preis) were announced on September 10 at the ICS International Congress Center Stuttgart. The awards recognize lighting design across workplaces, educational facilities, cultural venues, hospitality, public spaces, and transportation infrastructure.
Hamburg-based team licht received the title Lighting Designer of the Year 2026 and won the Outdoor Lighting Design category for Hamburg’s historic Lombardsbrücke. Licht Kunst Licht received the Special Jury Award for the exterior lighting of Cologne Cathedral.
Other multiple category winners included a·g Licht, recognized for the MEDI headquarters in Bayreuth and the FOUR RT4 entrance lobby in Frankfurt, and Belzner Holmes Light-Design, honored for Munich’s Archaeological State Collection and the Zeyrek Çinili Hamam in Istanbul.
Winners – Project and Design Firm
| Office & Administration | MEDI Headquarters, Bayreuth — a·g Licht |
| Interior Lighting / Public Spaces | Hyparschale, Magdeburg — Lichtvision Design |
| Exterior Lighting / Public Spaces | Diepholz City Center — Oliver Christen Lichtplanung |
| Outdoor Lighting Design | Historic Lombardsbrücke, Hamburg — team licht |
| Cultural Buildings | Eichstätt Cathedral — Ingenieure Bamberger |
| Hotels & Restaurants | Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, Salzburg, Austria — Licht 01 Lighting Design |
| Education | La Nave School, Buchs, Switzerland — art light |
| Artistic Projects | FOUR RT4 Entrance Lobby, Frankfurt — a·g Licht |
| Museums | Archaeological State Collection, Munich — Belzner Holmes Light-Design |
| International Projects | Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, Istanbul, Türkiye — Belzner Holmes Light-Design |
| Transportation Infrastructure | Zurich Main Station, Switzerland — lichtgestaltende ingenieure vogtpartner |
| Audience Award | German Mining Museum in a New Light, Bochum — LightLife |
| Special Jury Award | Exterior Lighting of Cologne Cathedral — Licht Kunst Licht |
| Lighting Designer of the Year | team licht, Hamburg |
The Audience Award, presented in cooperation with Messe Frankfurt, was decided by industry visitors at Light + Building 2026. The award went to LightLife’s lighting project for the German Mining Museum in Bochum.
Independent Expert Jury
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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Paul Schmits — HAWK, Hildesheim
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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Römhild — Wismar University of Applied Sciences
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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Cornelia Moosmann — HAWK, Hildesheim
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Prof. Susanne Brenninkmeijer — Licht+Raum Consultants
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Dr. Jürgen Waldorf — Managing Director, ZVEI Lighting Division
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Markus Helle — Editor-in-Chief, HIGHLIGHT
The jury is also joined by a representative of the previous year’s Lighting Designer of the Year. The evaluation process combines a review of project submissions with site visits to selected projects. Assessment considers architectural integration, user needs, lighting controls, maintenance, and energy efficiency. The jury operates independently of sponsors and the organizer’s commercial interests.
Sponsors and Partners
The 2026 awards were supported by the following sponsors and partners:
| Partnership | Organizations |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Anolis; Bergmeister Leuchten; iGuzzini; TRILUX; XAL; Zumtobel |
| VIP Partners | Arkoslight; L&L Luce&Light; LED Linear |
| Film Partners | Nichia; NORKA |
| Jury Sponsor | Light + Building |
| Project and Gala Partners | eltefa; LiTG; Light + Building; Wästberg |
These organizations supported the competition and its associated activities, helping bring professional lighting design to a wider industry audience.
About the German Lighting Design Award
First presented in 2011, the German Lighting Design Award recognizes outstanding lighting solutions and highlights the contribution of professional lighting design to the built environment. The competition promotes the profession and brings together architectural, technical, and human perspectives on light.
View all winners and nominees on the official German Lighting Design Award website.
© 2026 Luger Research e.U. – Institute for Innovation & Technology
