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ELLI Awards Program

The Experiential Landscape Lighting Initiative (ELLI) has established an official Awards Program dedicated to the recognition of professional Landscape Lighting Designers.
The ELLI Awards program serves the landscape lighting community by recognizing and encouraging professional design work. Its format is meant to identify landscape lighting design excellence by category. Also, it allows the participant to visually study and learn by analyzing these photographs.
  • Award of Merit

    Is awarded to those lighting designers who achieve three forms of criteria; 1) the photo meets the minimum requirements established in the Principles of Composition, 2) adequate professional skill is required to develop the lighting scene, and 3) the scene provides a contributory ‘affect’ (experience or feeling) in value to be included as part of the ELLI gallery.

  • Award of Distinction

    Is awarded to those lighting designers who not only achieve the ‘merit’ award level but surpass it. They are considered exceptional and are listed as “winner” of the designated Landscape Lighting Design category.

  • Award of Commendation

    Is awarded only to those lighting designers who achieve an exceptional level and are listed as “winner” of the designated Affective Lighting Design category.

Note: Of the three awards offered, the Award of Commendation is the greatest of achievements. It is the most difficult of achievements to effectively reproduce in landscape lighting. Those who do receive this award show the ability to “evoke emotion”. Each type of emotion is different and requires certain lighting applications to achieve. It is for this reason why our work truly is an artform. ELLI is the only Awards Program to recognize ‘affect’ as an important artistic value.

Most lighting designers take many years to become proficient at this artistic ability. It requires extensive experience in the applications of light within natural settings, as well as a full understanding of the psychological impacts light has on humans.

Note on photos shown by ELLI Educators & Advisors:
ELLI educators and advisors are all seasoned landscape lighting professionals whose work is fitting for the various award categories. We have included these works only for presentation within these categories, but each ELLI team member is excluded from winning any awards. Some of these photos may deserve awards, but we wanted to ensure confidence in our awards selection process to not show favoritism in any means.

Our goal is to provide a solid foundation and fair, unbiased means to “judging” work.

Award Winners