(UK) – The [d]arc awards, the world’s only peer-voted celebration of creativity in lighting design, has officially reopened entries for its 2025 edition! As we gear up for another dazzling year, we’re taking a look back at some of the past “Best of the Best” winners – the ultimate accolade, awarded to the project that received the highest number of votes across all categories.

Each of these projects has pushed the boundaries of imagination, technology, and storytelling through light. Maybe this year, it could be your turn to take the spotlight…

2017 – Pier  Mauá Cranes by LD Studio

The Pier Mauá cranes are iconic cranes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which are now a centrepiece of the city’s waterfront regeneration project, called the “Porto Maravilha”. They are a popular tourist attraction and cultural landmark, used for various events and lighting displays. The cranes have a history as working docks and have been preserved to add a historical element to the new urban space. Brazilian-based LD Studio provided the lighting concept to the metal structures in a way that allows people to go back to childhood and give wings to their imagination. The designer’s approach consists of revealing the main structure, the ‘animal’s legs and upper body’, using warm white LED flood lights with different intensity and beam angles, while taking the opportunity of the existing transparency of its operator’s cabins and along the crane’s ‘arms’, using LED RGB technology.

https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/daawards17_digital_issuu/4

2019 – Noctambule by Flos

The best of the best category is up for grabs by anyone, not just lighting schemes. Take a look at Flos winner for 2019, Noctambule. Designed by Konstantin Grcic, this collection of lamps is made of handblown glass modules. The simplicity and transparency of the lamp make it invisible during the day, coming to life at night like a nocturnal animal.

https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/darcawards2019_review/14

2021 – Bath Abbey by Michael Grubb Studio

Winner of the 2021 [d]arc awards was a £19.3 million restoration and transformation programme designed to preserve Bath Abbey’s heritage while introducing sustainable, modern solutions. Led by FCBStudios and Michael Grubb Studio, the project features an innovative lighting design that highlights the Abbey’s intricate architecture – from the fan vaulting to Georgian memorials, through energy-efficient LED systems and advanced DMX controls. The scheme not only enhances the Abbey’s spiritual ambience but also provides flexibility for diverse events.

https://darcawards.com/best-of-the-best/

2023 – Artifact Bar by Light Origin

Winner of the Structures – Low category, and Best of the Best winner 2023, is a hidden speakeasy bar located in the basement of BaseHall Central, Hong Kong. The bar draws inspiration from the rhythmic patterns and serene yet dramatic ambience of underground cisterns. Guests enter through a secret passage featuring industrial pipe-like windows and digital light art that sets a mysterious tone. Inside, a mirrored ceiling creates an illusion of infinite height, while sculptural rib-like forms and a glowing circular skylight evoke the warmth of a sunset. Intimate booth lighting and soft under-seat illumination enhance the space’s immersive and dreamlike atmosphere. Despite challenges such as limited ceiling height, the team cleverly integrated lighting within architectural details to achieve both function and artistry. With 90% of fixtures locally sourced and LED-based, combined with efficient dimming controls, Artifact exemplifies how sustainable lighting design can elevate ambience and imagination in equal measure.

https://darcawards.com/best-of-the-best-2023/

2024 – Thames City by Foundry

Winner of both the 2023 [d]arc awards Spaces category and Best of the Best, Thames City is a landmark redevelopment transforming 10 acres of former industrial land in Nine Elms into a vibrant, mixed-use riverside destination. Designed by Foundry, the lighting scheme enhances the sensory experience of the landscaped courtyards, podium gardens, and linear park, using a delicate balance of warm light and shadow to reveal textures of stone, foliage, and water. Low-level and column lighting create intimacy, guide movement, and highlight architectural features, encouraging visitors to slow down and engage with their surroundings. The result is a refined, atmospheric design that celebrates both nature and urban life after dark.

https://darcawards.com/portfolio/thames-city-uk/

The 2025 [d]arc awards are now open for entries! Whether you’ve created a ground-breaking architectural lighting scheme, an experimental installation, or a beautifully crafted product, this is your chance to be recognised on the global stage.

Winning Best of the Best means joining an elite group of designers and studios whose work has inspired the industry worldwide. The 2025 celebration will once again take place at Woolwich Works, London, bringing together professionals from across the international lighting community for an unforgettable night.

Enter your project now and you could walk away with not one, but two [d]arc awards.

www.darcwards.com/enter-the-awards