DALI Lighting Awards 2026: 13 winners from homes to smart cities

This review by the LED professional Editors first appeared in LED professional Review (LpR) issue 115, May/June 2026, as part of the issue's DALI Focus.

The presentation of the DALI Lighting Awards 2026 at the Light + Building 2026 underscored the growing importance of standardized, interoperable lighting control in modern buildings and urban environments. Organized by the DALI Alliance, the international awards program recognized outstanding projects that demonstrated the practical and innovative application of DALI-based lighting systems worldwide.

This year’s edition recorded a significant increase in participation, with submissions nearly tripling compared to previous years. Entries were received from across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, and Africa, reflecting the global reach and rapid adoption of DALI technologies. The awards were structured into two main categories: Application Awards, recognizing real-world implementations, and Innovation Awards, focusing on technological advancements and new applications.

A total of 13 winning projects were selected, complemented by three highly commended entries. The diversity of the awarded projects illustrated the versatility of DALI systems across a wide range of applications, from residential and commercial environments to industrial facilities and smart city infrastructure.

In the Application Awards category, the Estoril Court luxury residence in Hong Kong, delivered by Zhuhai LTECH Technology, demonstrated advanced residential lighting control. In commercial interiors, Litelab was recognized for the Hindustan Unilever workplace in Mumbai, where DALI was integrated with daylight utilization and building management systems to create an efficient and user-centric environment. BEGA received the award for the exterior lighting of Akershus Fortress in Oslo, while B.E.G. was honored for its scalable lighting solution at the Bosch Research and Development facility. In the Smart Cities and Infrastructure category, Signify was awarded for its lighting design at Ezhou Huahu Airport in China.

The Innovation Awards highlighted key technological developments shaping the future of lighting control. Crown House Technologies was recognized for its use of the D4i standard in Oxford’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, enabling data-driven building optimization. Tridonic stood out by winning two awards: one for emergency lighting integration at the American University in Cairo and another for the AlUla Film Residence, which showcased intelligent energy-saving strategies.

Further awards reflected emerging trends such as human-centric lighting, smart city integration, and advanced system interoperability. Elekon was honored for its hospital project in Istanbul, while Flashnet demonstrated large-scale smart city integration in Washington, D.C. The implementation of DALI+ at 500 Bourke Street in Melbourne by Lightmoves and Zencontrol highlighted the growing importance of wireless and IP-based control systems. Additional recognition went to Bluebottle for connected lighting at Gate 8 in Australia and to Foster + Partners and Delmatic for their integrated lighting control at Apple’s headquarters in London.

Special commendations were awarded to Delta Greentech, Helvar, and Inventronics for projects demonstrating excellence in design, smart infrastructure, and sustainability.

As Paul Drosihn, General Manager of the DALI Alliance, noted, the “quality and diversity of submissions were exceptional”, reflecting the continued global growth of DALI as a foundation for intelligent and interoperable lighting systems.

Overall, the DALI Lighting Awards 2026 demonstrated that lighting control has evolved into a key enabler of smart, connected, and energy-efficient environments, with standardized systems playing a central role in future-ready building and city infrastructures.

DALI Lighting Awards 2026 – winners overview

Application Awards

• Residential: Zhuhai LTECH Technology – Estoril Court Luxury Residence
• Commercial Interior: Litelab – Hindustan Unilever
• Commercial Exterior: BEGA – Akershus Fortress
• Industrial: B.E.G. – Bosch R&D Manufacturing Facility
• Smart Cities & Infrastructure: Signify – Ezhou Huahu Airport

Innovation Awards

• Best Use of D4i: Crown House Technologies – Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre
• Emergency Lighting Integration: Tridonic – American University in Cairo
• Human Centric Lighting: Elekon – Acibadem Kartal Hospital
• Integration into Other Systems: Flashnet – Washington D.C.
• Best Use of DALI+: Lightmoves & Zencontrol – 500 Bourke Street
• Sustainability & Energy Efficiency: Tridonic – AlUla Film Residence
• Smart & Connected Lighting: Bluebottle – Gate 8
• Innovation in Lighting: Foster + Partners / Delmatic – Apple Battersea

Highly commended

• Delta Greentech – Dishuiyun Hall
• Helvar – Lublin Metropolitan Railway Station
• Inventronics – Baotou Aluminium Project

Source: LED professional Editors, “DALI Lighting Awards 2026 – Highlight Interoperability and Innovation”, LED professional Review (LpR) 115, May/June 2026, DALI Focus. More about the awards: dali-alliance.org. Image: DALI Alliance.