(UK) – The Silhouette Awards will continue their 5th year with a dedicated industry event taking place on the 4th of June 2026 at BDP in Central London.
Running from 16:30–21:30, the programme will bring together mentors, mentees, sponsors, and leading lighting professionals for an afternoon and evening of talks, dialogue, and exchange focused on mentorship, practice, and the evolving realities of a lighting design career.

Since launching in 2021, through a collaboration between Parrot PR and Marketing and Archifos, the global mentorship programme has established itself as a significant platform supporting emerging lighting design talent through mentorship, creative dialogue, and international collaboration. Now in its fifth year, the programme has reached a milestone of 100 mentor + mentee pairings, reflecting the continued growth and reach of the initiative across the global lighting design community.

Opening the event, Co-Founders Eve Gaut and Katia Kolovea, will reflect on five years of development, international growth, and the expanding influence of mentorship within the profession.
A curated programme of keynote talks, discussions, and video contributions will follow, offering insight into both the opportunities and challenges facing lighting designers today – from early career development through to established practice, and the role mentorship plays in bridging that journey.

The conference programme brings together a cross-section of voices from within the Silhouette Awards network and wider global lighting design community, including opening keynote speaker Michael Grubb (mentor year 1), alongside contributions from Maria Laura Porselli (mentee year 5), Tiago Winer (mentee year 4), Fabiana Nery Pardhanani (mentor year 4), Gary Thornton (mentor year 3), Tiziana Regalado (mentee year 4), Melissa Toasa (mentor year 4) Sacha Abizadeh (mentee year 4), Marcy Song (mentor year 1), Du Xueqi (mentee year 5), and Andra Munro (mentee year 3).
Together, these sessions will highlight, amongst other topics, the realities of building a lighting design career in a rapidly evolving industry, with international perspectives, lived experience, and open dialogue at the core of the programme.

Supported by programme sponsors including Signify, Studio Due, formalighting, and One Eighty One, the evening will close with a networking reception featuring drinks, conversation, and curated surprise entertainment moments designed to extend the experience beyond the afternoon’s formal programme.

The Silhouette Awards event extends a personal invitation to emerging lighting designers, students, and early-career professionals to join the conversation and experience the programme first-hand. Studio leaders and design directors are also encouraged to support attendance by sending team members to engage in the conference and wider industry exchange.

Attendance is also open to the wider lighting and design community, with complimentary places for independent lighting designers, mentors, mentees, students, and invited guests. We also offer a limited allocation of industry support tickets for manufacturers and professionals who want to engage directly with the community at scale.

With the event capacity limited, it is expected to reach full attendance – early registration is strongly advised. For registration and enquiries, contact > info@silhouetteawards.com

www.silhouetteawards.com