The 2020 National SOURCE Awards were yet again dominated by Ringling College of Art and Design Interior Design students. A total of seven students were recognized by the prestigious, national competition for their achievements and outstanding designs: 1 grand prize winner, 4 honorable mentions, and 2 awards of recognition. Three of the award winners were from Ringling College:
Winner – Stefanie Voinea, Mini Metropolis
Honorable Mention – Yin Weng, Cyber Bar
Award of Recognition – Chloe Harlan, The House of Sage
Presented by Cooper Lighting Solutions for over 40 years, The SOURCE Awards honors the industry’s next generation of lighting designers. Normally held in conjunction with the LightFair International event, this year’s awards ceremony was set to take place in May at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Unfortunately those plans were canceled due to the pandemic, but that did not stop the ceremony from taking place. Award winners were announced and recognized during a virtual presentation instead.
“We’re excited as this new approach gives us the opportunity for the first time, for our talented student winners to participate and talk about their award-winning projects, as well as the inspiration behind them,” announced Kraig Kasler, president of Cooper Lighting Solutions.
The winning projects were judged on creativity and the selection and application of Cooper Lighting Solutions’ lighting and controls products. Specifically, the conceptual lighting design projects were judged on the blending of aesthetics and creative achievement, with additional considerations of energy efficiency, controls integration, best use of natural light and customization.
Faculty Advisor, Seongwoo Nam said, “It was an honor and a joy to work with these amazing students. The overall competition is not just about lighting the space well – it is vital to explore all aspects of lighting design including wayfinding, efficiency and sustainability, daylighting, aesthetics, and of course human interaction. I am immensely proud of what these designers have accomplished.”
The winning projects appeared in Trade Magazine, Lighting Magazine, and other national and local publications. Winners are also invited to attend a class free of charge at SOURCE, Cooper Lighting Solutions’ educational center in Peachtree City, Georgia. The grand prize winner, Stefanie Voinea, received a $2,000 award and the honorable mention winners each received a $500 award.
Congratulations to Stefanie, Yin, and Chloe, and to their faculty advisor, Seongwoo Nam!
You can watch the virtual awards presentation and learn more about The SOURCE Awards and Cooper Lighting Solutions here.