Cleveland — GE Consumer & Industrial has issued a call for entries for the 26th Annual GE Edison Award competition. Through the competition, GE recognizes excellence and quality in professional lighting designs that employ the significant use of GE light sources (lamps and/or LEDs).

The GE Edison Award competition is open to professional designers, architects, engineers and consultants. Entries are judged on the following criteria: functional excellence; architectural compatibility; effective use of state-of-the-art lighting products and techniques; appropriate color, form and texture revelation; energy effectiveness and cost effectiveness.

Projects scoring the highest number of points will qualify to receive Awards of Merit or Awards of Excellence. The GE Edison Award Winner is selected from among the Awards of Excellence.

The Award for Excellence in Environmental Design gives special recognition to those projects that minimize the use of energy, maximize the use of daylighting, control light pollution, and ensure system durability and maintainability. Previously called the Award for Sustainable Design, this award has been renamed to better reflect its focus on the creation of environmentally-sensitive lighting designs that respect the needs of people while showcasing the latest lighting system and control technologies.

All qualifying entrants will be invited to an awards ceremony, which will take place May 4, 2009 in New York on the evening prior to the opening of LightFair International. At that time, designers who have been designated as winners of Awards of Excellence, Awards of Merit, the Award for Excellence in Environmental Design and the Award for Residential Design will be recognized with personalized plaques acknowledging their lighting design achievements.

The identity of the 2008 GE Edison Award Winner will remain confidential until announced at the Awards ceremony. The winner will receive a personalized Steuben crystal trophy and continued publicity throughout the following year. A distinctive plaque will also be presented to the owner of the winning installation.

All lighting projects, submitted for award consideration, must have been completed between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008. Entries must be received by January 12, 2009. For more information, visit www.GEEdisonAward.com.