Now in its 17th year, the Illuminating Engineering Society's New York City Section's annual student competition continues to promote a greater awareness of lighting by engaging with New York–area students who are enrolled in design programs. Each year, the competition brief focuses on a specific property of light and asks students to interpret the idea by designing a 3D-built model. The theme for the 2017 competition is “Light, Scaled.” Students are asked to “…construct a three-dimensional study that explores the scale of light and its impact on perception. Light informs our perception of scale and space, changing how we see the world around us. As we move through our environment and shift our perspective, the scale of light influences our perception. Light is present at every scale: as a traveling photon, a playful luminaire, or the memorable Manhattan skyline.”

To participate, students must complete the online registration form by Sunday, February 19, 2017, 11:59p.m. EST. Delivery of entries occurs the day of the event, which will take place, along with an exhibition of all entries, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at the 404 Event Space, 404 10th Ave. (near Penn Station) in Manhattan. All entries must include an electric light source, fit into the back of a cab, and include a title and description of the entry. The student’s name and/or school they attend must not be included anywhere on the entry. An entry piece can be set up on a table, a floor space, or suspended from a ceiling grid, so long as it weighs less than 30 lbs and includes suspension materials.

The keynote speaker for the March 7th program is architectural engineer Enrique Peiniger, principal of New York City-based lighting design firm Office for Visual Interaction (OVI).

For more information or to ask questions, please email: [email protected]. Otherwise all information can be found on the competition’s web page at the IESNYC website.