What Are the IIDA Awards?

The International Illumination Design Awards (IIDA) are a program for recognizing excellence in lighting design instituted by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). The award process begins at the IESNA Section, where local projects are submitted and evaluated on a points basis. Proejcts receiving sufficient scores are given Section Awards. The highest scoring projects are then forwarded on for Regional judging.

The Regional judging is done by a panel representing the larger region, which contains several IESNA Sections. In the Pacific Northwest, the Sections include British Columbia, Chinook, Northern Gateway, Northern Lights, Oregon, Puget Sound, Vancouver Island, and a student chapter at the University of Oregon. Projects are again scored on merit, receiving Regional Awards, and the highest scoring projects are forwarded on to the National IIDA Committee for possible receipt of the highest honors.

The award winners shown on these pages are Puget Sound Section Award winners from the Washington State judges. Some of these were forwarded on for possible higher awards. We will post notices if any Section winners receive higher awards.

Here are the definitions of the specific award categories:

The Edwin F. Guth Memorial Award For Interior Lighting Design
The Edwin F. Guth Memorial Awards for Interior Lighting Design honor the memory of Edwin F. Guth, who founded the St. Louis Brass Co. in 1902. He later renamed the company the Edwin F. Guth Co. At the time of his death in 1962, he held 147 patents.

The Paul Waterbury Award For Outdoor Lighting
The Paul Waterbury Award for Outdoor Lighting honors Paul Waterbury’s achievements in the lighting field. Among his achievements are the development of 1500 W metal halide lamps for stadium use and an optical system for low-mounted tennis court lighting.

The Aileen Page Cutler Memorial Award For Residential Lighting Design
This award honors the memory of Aileen Page Cutler, a developer of new and creative ways to light residences. She also developed training programs for teaching others the art and science of residential lighting. She was the wife of the late C.M. (Monte) Cutler, who established this award.

No Longer Awarded - 2003
The Award For Energy Efficiency In Lighting For Commercial Buildings
The Award for Energy Efficiency in Lighting for Commercial Buildings, sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), recognizes quality lighting applications in commercial buildings that demonstrate dramatic energy savings while contributing to the overall quality of the installation.

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