ANNUAL AWARDS
Every year many volunteers from all over the world show remarkable dedication and initiative to the IDA mission. IDA annual awards recognize a number of these individuals who have greatly impacted our nightscape. Information on the individual awards is presented below.
Call for Nominations
Examine the list below to nominate a student, advocate, or building/complex for an IDA annual award. Nominations for the 2012 awards close on 31 August 2012 for the North American/International Awards and will be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting held in Tucson, Arizona in November, 2012, USA. Nominations for the 2012 awards for the Galileo Award and European Lighting Design Award close 1 August 2012 and will be presented at the 12th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky.
Past Award Winners
2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
Congratulations, Jennifer! Extended coverage of Jennifer West and her Dark Sky Defender Student Award appears in the Winnipeg Free Press
Artificial lights do worse than just ruin the view By Nick Martin, July 10, 2011
Dark Sky Defender could be the title of the next summer superhero blockbuster.
It would sure look nifty on a resumé.
And it's especially impressive, though no less mysterious, when you're talking about Jennifer West, a University of Manitoba student who is this year's top student-category Dark Sky Defender on the planet.
This is serious stuff, said West, a PhD student in astrophysics and a sessional lecturer at the University of Manitoba.
West received her award in New York City recently from the International Dark Sky Association, a worldwide group of academics in fields as diverse as the environment, education, biology, medicine and astrophysics. Read more >>
Awards Presented
- Dr. David L. Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award
- Initiated in 2008, the Dr. David L. Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award commemorates IDA co-founder and former Executive Director Dave Crawford's indelible mark on the preservation of the nighttime sky. It is presented to individuals such as Dr. Crawford, who in their lifetime have contributed an extraordinary effort to light pollution abatement.
- Galileo Award
- Given once per year by the European region of the IDA for outstanding achievements in combating light pollution in Europe. Nominees are selected by the European community through an annual poll and is presented at the annual European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky.
- Hoag/Robinson Award
- Awarded on the recommendation of the IDA Board of Directors to an individual who has been outstanding in educating governmental organizations, business, and the public about the merits of outdoor lighting control ordinances. Named in honor of two pioneers in outdoor lighting reform, Dr. Arthur Hoag and Mr. William Robinson.
- George & Edythe Taylor Student Award
- In honor of George and Edyth Taylor; Mr. Taylor a lighting engineer recognized by the Illuminating Engineering Socity of North America (IESNA) for his contributions to the field and IESNA's 54th President (1958-1959). Honoring the Taylor's commitment to public education by encouraging students to explore the worldwide problem of light pollution through science, technology, society, and the environment.
- Dark Sky Defender (Formerly Executive Director Special Award)
- Given to individuals and organizations in appreciation for their efforts for the IDA and its mission of preserving our night skies by promoting quality outdoor nightime lighting. Many past awardees have led strong campaigns for public awarness and outdoor lighting laws. Awardees are selected by the board and managing directors; however, nominations and suggestions are accepted.
- Lighting Design Award
- Presented to designers and owners and/or managers of facilities in recognition of quality lighting. Each award includes a plaque for the designer and the owner/manager of the facility. In determining award winners, IDA considers the following criteria for quality lighting: freedom from glare, rational lighting levels, energy efficiency, good nighttime ambience, minimal obtrusive light, and minimal contribution to sky glow. Winning lighting designers and installations are environmentally friendly and economically sensible.
Awards Description & Nomination Information
Dr. David L. Crawford Lifetime Achievement Award
Description: The lifetime achievement award in honor of IDA's first executive director is an honor bestowed upon those who have made substantial effort and change in light pollution abatement education. The award is designed for presentation on an annual basis.
Nomination: Nomination is through the IDA Board of Directors. Nominations should be received by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and should include the individuals name, years active in light pollution abatement education, and rationale for the lifetime achievement award (i.e. significant achievements within recent years).
Deadline: Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2012.
Description: The Galileo Award is the European Award for outstanding achievements in combating light pollution issues on the European continent. The award is presented on an annual basis at the European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky.
Nomination: Nomination is through the Executive Committee of the European IDA. Nominees must be members of the European IDA Community. Nominations should be recieved by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and should include the individuals name, years active in light pollution, and rationale for the annual award (i.e. significant achievements within the last year).
Deadline: Deadline for submissions is August 1, 2012.
Past recipients include:
- Martin Morgan-Taylor, United Kingdom (2011)
- Wim Schmidt, Platform Lichthinder, The Netherlands (2010)
- Dr. Andreas Haenel, Dark Skies Germany, Germany (2009)
- Dr. Christopher Baddiley, United Kingdom (2008)
- Dr. Pierantonio Cinzano, Italy (2007)
- Bob Mizon, UK Campaign for Dark Skies, UK (2006)
- Rene Kobler, Switzerland (2005)
- Fabio Falchi, Italy (2004)
- Diego Bonata, Italy (2003)
Description: This award is given at the recommendation of the IDA board of directors to an individual who has been outstanding in educating governmental organizations, businesses, and the public about the merits of outdoor lighting control ordinances. The award is named in honor of two pioneers in outdoor lighting reform, Dr. Arthur Hoag and Mr. William Robinson.
Dr. Arthur Hoag, who received his Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University in 1952, was one of the founders of the dark sky movement. Dr. Hoag led the cause against light pollution at Kitt Peak in the 1960s and early 1970s. His efforts, together with those of the astronomers he led, resulted in the adoption of an outdoor lighting ordinance in Tucson and Pima county in 1972.
Mr. William T. Robinson was a retired petroleum engineer experienced in technology and negotiation when he met Dave Crawford at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Shortly thereafter he came out of retirement to become a volunteer for dark sky preservation in southern Arizona. Passionate and tireless, Mr. Robinson was instrumental in the adoption of no less than 50 outdoor lighting control ordinances throughout Arizona, including for most incorporated communities, for all state counties, and for the state itself.
This award honors Dr. Hoag and Mr. Robinson for their work as dark sky pioneers. Their widows, Marge Hoag and Mary Robinson, have agreed to the use of their names for this award.
Nominations: IDA welcomes nominations for the Hoag/Robinson Award. Please send your nomination to IDA by August 31, 2012.
Nominate an outstanding individual for the Hoag/Robinson Award by clicking here. (PDF)
Description: The International Dark-Sky Association Lighting Design Award is given to designers and owners and/or managers of facilities in recognition of quality lighting. Each award includes a generous cash prize and a plaque for the designer and a certificate for the owner and/or manager of the facility. In determining award winners, IDA considers the following criteria for quality lighting: freedom from glare, rational lighting levels, energy efficiency, good nighttime ambience, minimal obtrusive light, and minimal contribution to sky glow. Winning lighting designs and installations are environmentally friendly and economically sensible.
Nominations: IDA respectfully requests nominations for the Lighting Design Award. IDA considers nominations both for international and for regional or local quality lighting designs and installations. To nominate a facility designer and a facility owner/manager for an award, please complete our official nomination form.
Rules: Awards shall be for quality outdoor lighting of any kind and for any application. Any number of submissions may be made using the official nomination form. While anyone may submit a lighting design and installation for consideration, the designer of the lighting system and the owner/manager of the facility in which the lighting system is installed must sign the official nomination form to indicate their agreement with the submission. Each submission must include a statement explaining the reason for the submission. Sufficient information and details must be included about the lighting design and installation to allow judges to assess the submission relative to IDA’s quality lighting precepts:
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Rational lighting levels
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Energy efficiency
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Minimal obtrusive light
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Good nighttime ambience
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Minimal impact on artificial sky glow
Entries without sufficient information and details to allow judges to assess the lighting design and installation will be rejected.
Each submission must include high resolution color digital images—taken both at night and during the day—of the lighting design and installation. These must include both general views (to assess the overall design) and detailed views of features of the lighting system. Photographs will not be returned. Nomination submission constitutes permission of submitting parties for IDA to use submitted images in order to publicize the awards and to promote quality outdoor lighting.
Judges shall be an independent panel (not to include IDA staff or IDA board members) which shall assess each entry relative to IDA’s quality lighting precepts. Judges’ decisions will be final and no correspondence on the judging will be entertained.
IDA will arrange publicity about the awards and will work with nominators and nominees to publicize their nominations in their localities. Additional material or photographs may be requested after the awards are made to help with such publicity.
Awards: Awards will be announced and presented at the IDA Annual General Meeting or at the European Symposium, depending on the award winner. A certificate will be presented to each award winning owner/manager and designer.
Deadline: August 31, 2012
Nomination: Please use the official nomination form and email the form to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or fax to +1 520 293 3192.
George & Edythe Taylor Student Award
Description: This award is given in honor of George and Edythe Taylor. Mr. Taylor was a lighting engineer recognized by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) for his contributions to the field; he was also IESNA’s 54th President (1958–59). The award honors Mr. and Mrs. Taylor for their commitment to public education by encouraging students to explore the worldwide problem of light pollution through science, technology, society, and the environment.
Donations: IDA requests your donations in honor of George and Edythe Taylor for this award. Your donation is needed to continue and expand the program for students in the future. Donations are accepted year-round; please mark your donation as being “for the George and Edythe Taylor Student Award.” Your donation to IDA, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is tax deductible under U.S. law.
Rules: Awards shall be given to students in kindergarten through 12th grade for completion of projects related to light pollution. Submissions may be made using the official nomination form. Only teachers may submit nominations for their students. Each entry should include two statements explaining the reason for the submission. One statement should be written by the student; the other statement should be written by his/her teacher. Please limit each statement to no more than 300 words. Each entry should include a description of the light pollution project undertaken by the student. Acceptable formats for project descriptions are:
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Paper documents of less than 11 inches by 17 inches
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Electronic files under 2MB submitted on CD
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Electronic files under 2MB submitted as attachments by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Web page or URLs submitted by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Judging: Judges shall be an interdisciplinary, independent panel (not to include IDA staff or IDA board members) appointed by the IDA education working group. The panel shall assess each entry relative to the following criteria:
- Demonstration that the student understands at least two of the following aspects of light pollution: science, technology, society, environment
- Demonstration that the student has learned effective research and communication skills
- Demonstration that the student is creative in thought and expression
- Accuracy, creativity, and overall effectiveness of the project
Judging shall be for the three seperate educational levels:
- Lower grades: K - 6th grade (or international equivalent)
- Middle grades: 7th - 9th grade (or international equivalent)
- Upper grades: 10th - 12th grade (or international equivalent)
Awards will be announced and presented at the IDA Annual Meeting or European Symposium. Students and teachers will receive a one-year IDA gift membership.
Deadline: August 31, 2012
Nominations: Nominate a student for the George & Edythe Taylor Student Award by submitting the nomination form to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Demonstration that the student is creative in thought and expression
- Accuracy, creativity, and overall effectiveness of the project
Judging shall be for the three seperate educational levels:
- Lower grades: K - 6th grade (or international equivalent)
- Middle grades: 7th - 9th grade (or international equivalent)
- Upper grades: 10th - 12th grade (or international equivalent)
Awards will be announced and presented at the IDA Annual Meeting or European Symposium. Students and teachers will receive a one-year IDA gift membership.
Deadline: August 31, 2012
Nominations: Nominate a student for the George & Edythe Taylor Student Award by submitting the nomination form to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it