The Daylight Award is now open for nominations for its 2026 edition. This biennial prize is honouring outstanding contributions to daylight research and daylight in architecture. For the first time, the award is presented by the Daylight Academy (DLA), an international membership organisation committed to promoting daylight knowledge and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among daylight experts worldwide.
Every second year, the Daylight Award honours both a researcher and an architect whose work advances the understanding and application of daylight. Nominations for 2026 are open from 16 May 2025, UNESCO International Day of Light, until 15 September 2025.
One award, two prizes
The Daylight Award celebrates both scientific research and architectural practice, connecting disciplines that are often approached in isolation. By encouraging this interdisciplinary exchange, the award aims to strengthen the holistic understanding of daylight and increase its positive impact on human health, well-being, and society at large.
The Daylight Award for Research is given to individuals or small teams for highly original and influential advances in natural, human, or social sciences, with particular focus on the impact of daylight on health and nature, as well as its technological use for a more healthy and sustainable society.
The Daylight Award for Architecture is awarded to architects or professionals who create architecture or urban environments that exemplify unique and innovative use of daylight, improving quality of life and contributing to societal well-being.
Each laureate, whether an individual or a team, receives a prize of EUR 100,000.
Nominations open – submit your candidates!
Nominations for the Daylight Award 2026 are open from 16 May 2025 until 15 September 2025. Organisations, architects, researchers, and other professionals with expertise and interest in daylight can nominate candidates. Self-nominations are not accepted. More information on how to nominate is available on the website of the Daylight Award. Nominations should be sent to office@daylight.academy
The jury will announce the 2026 laureates in May 2026.
Introducing the 2026 Jury
The Daylight Award jury brings together renowned names from science and architecture:
- Gerd Folkers (Jury Chair), Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at ETH Zurich, former President of the Swiss Science Council, CH
- Dorte Mandrup, architect, founder and creative director of the architectural practice Dorte Mandrup A/S, Chair of the 2019 Mies van der Rohe prize, DK
- Russell Foster, neuroscientist, director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience, laureate of the Daylight Award 2020, UK
- Annette Gigon, architect and co-founder of Gigon Guyer Partner Architekten, laureates of the Daylight Award 2012, CH
- Iwan Baan, architectural and documentary photographer, The Hague, NL, New York, US
- Yvonne de Kort, Professor and Chair of Environmental Psychology of Human–Technology Interaction at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), NL
- Michael J. Balick, Vice President, Senior Philecology Curator and Director, Center for Plants, People and Culture, The New York Botanical Garden, US
A legacy of daylight excellence
Since 1980, the Daylight Award has honoured leading architects and researchers such as Jørn Utzon, Peter Zumthor, Lacaton & Vassal, SANAA, Steven Holl, and Grafton Architects, alongside leading daylight researchers including Marilyne Andersen, Russell Foster, Anna Wirz-Justice, and Till Roenneberg.
About The Daylight Award
Established by the philanthropic foundations Villum Foundation, VELUX FONDEN, and Velux Stiftung, the Daylight Award has been revitalised in 2016 with a focus on interdisciplinarity. As of 2025, it is presented by the Daylight Academy (DLA), an international network initiated by Velux Stiftung that brings together scientists, architects, engineers, and other daylight professionals to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing.
