The PLDA is backing the 2009 Lighting Design Awards in a unique agreement to reward and celebrate excellence in the lighting industry. The Professional Lighting Designers’ Association represents a large number of the UK’s lighting design talent and will give its support to the event, the world’s largest and most prestigious architectural lighting competition.
The PLDA’s Vice-President, Martin Lupton, said: “The UK Lighting Design Awards have long been recognised as one of the most credible lighting awards in the world with judges actually visiting the shortlisted sites rather than just basing decisions on photographic images.  To further enhance this credibility the two judging panels will now also include senior representatives of the PLDA and we will be encouraging as many of our members as possible to enter.”
For the first year the international category has also been opened up to non-UK designers and the PLDA will play a key role in soliciting entries from top designers all over the world. 
“This is a natural partnership,” said Ray Molony of the Lighting Design Awards. “The PLDA is a vibrant and forward-thinking organisation which is growing rapidly in both membership and influence in the UK. Its goals in terms of promoting the importance of lighting design align perfectly with those of the Lighting Design Awards.”
PLDA representatives Gary Campbell, Mark Sutton Vane, Henrietta Lynch, Mike Stoane and Ian Ruxton will join the two judging teams, one for projects and one for product innovations.
The project judges will spend three months visiting projects across the UK and Ireland. This in-situ assessment is unique to the Lighting Design Awards, and is a key element in maintaining the highest possible standards for this event.