On the 19 November Lucie Koháková was named SLL Young Lighter with her project, The impact of light on human circadian rhythms — especially in early childhood - and how design can support healthier sleep through biologically appropriate lighting ‘LUNA’.
This year’s final was hosted and facilitated by SLL President Elect, Carolina Florian Valbuena, CEng MCIBSE MSLL AILP in London and Manchester with all four finalists delivering their presentations to a live audience of their peers, as well as being broadcast to the other location. The winner was decided by a combination of judges and audience vote. Lucie was announced as the SLL Young Lighter winner at on 19 November at LiGHT 25 in London.
Lucie is a multidisciplinary designer with a strong focus on light, wellbeing, and human centred design. She recently completed her Master’s degree in Industrial Design at the Faculty of Architecture in Prague, where her graduation project explored the connection between light and circadian rhythms in infants. This research led to the creation of Luna, a portable sleep aid lamp designed to support healthier sleep for both parents and children by using light free from disruptive blue and green wavelengths.
“Luna is a simple idea with broad applicability, grounded in scientific principles of circadian lighting. I saw how it could benefit those with babies and young children. Lucie conveyed its potential for real-world impact in a way that was easy for both specialists and non-specialists to understand”. Andreas Schulz, CEO, Licht Kunst Licht
The other 2025 finalists and presentations were as follows:
- Katerina Xynogala, WSP - Lighting the Way: Optimizing Maintenance Factors for Tunnels.
- Ruoxi Yin, University College London - PENCIL: Perception of Environments for the Neurodiverse: Colour in Light.
- Shivani Manhas, IIITDM – Stellaris.
The judges were impressed by the quality of entries from the initial entry stage, maintaining an exceedingly high standard throughout the competition. All the finalists received a cash prize, along with a year's free membership of the Society. To watch the final.
“I was delighted to chair the judging panel for Young Lighter 2025. It’s always inspiring to see the creativity and fresh perspectives that emerging talent bring to our industry, and I want to thank everyone who has submitted their ideas this year”. Carolina Florian Valbuena, SLL President Elect
SLL Young Lighter competition is open to anyone with an interest in light and lighting, the competition is designed to test not just the finalists’ ability to develop a lighting project, but also their presentation skills.
The competition provides a unique platform for young lighters and is open for all to enter, allowing entrants to illustrate their knowledge, research or ideas on a lighting subject, hone their presentation skills, and raise their profile within the industry.
Anyone under 30 years of age on the Stage 1 submission date can enter with any light or lighting related topic including: photography, product design, light and shadow, novel approach to lighting, natural and electric light, light art or a piece of original/different thinking based on formal or informal personal discovery.
If you would like more information about the SLL Young Lighter competition and how to enter in 2025, please email [email protected] or go to SLL Young Lighter