Editor’s Note: The Show Goes On

By Paul Tarricone

The issue you hold in your hands—or are viewing on your screen—is the fourth produced remotely by the LD+A staff. These days, our editorial planning meetings take place through Zoom or email instead of in the IES conference room. As opposed to reviewing a stack of hard-copy page proofs as a group, our team views digital proofs individually on our respective laptops.

We adapt…as the Illumination Awards judges did this year.

Judging for the IES Illumination Awards program is typically a straightforward process. On the eve of LightFair, judges would gather in a hotel conference room, convention center meeting room or at the IES offices and pore over the contenders for Awards of Distinction, Excellence and Special Citations.

But this is not a typical year. With travel curtailed, the judges for the 2020 program gathered virtually over six hours—and multiple time zones—to narrow the field of 22 projects to the 12 award recipients featured in this issue (p. 24).

Judging is just half the IA story. The other piece is how to celebrate the award recipients in these unusual times. The IA Gala is usually a centerpiece of the Annual Conference, and if you have been around the IES long enough, then you’ve seen it all—from photo montages and videos to live readings and prerecorded voice-overs. Pick a date on the conference schedule—Sunday night, Monday afternoon or Tuesday evening—and we’ve used it.

Again, 2020 is not a normal year. This time around, our IA celebration will kick off the first-ever IES Virtual Annual Conference (a 10-day extravaganza spread over the week of August 24 and August 31). Visit www.ies.org for the complete schedule and for registration information. Until then, enjoy the awards coverage presented here.