Today in Lighting — Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Sponsored by ArchLIGHT Summit and DALI Alliance — Where lighting leaders gather this September.
Here are the stories making news, coming to you from Champaign, Illinois.
The 2026 IES Progress Report recognized 58 products and publications across eight industry trends, highlighting innovation in AI, controls, interoperability, color, human-centric lighting, and more.
At IES26, Sam Koerbel challenged lighting professionals to bridge the translation gap between technical expertise and project decision-makers. His message: if lighting intent can’t be clearly explained, it won’t survive value engineering, substitutions, or installation. I thought it was a wonderful talk.
Also at IES26, President Jared Smith used AI-powered glasses as a hidden teleprompter, delivering speeches while maintaining eye contact with the audience. The technology tracks his speech and scrolls text through the glasses, offering a high-tech alternative to traditional scripts.
The NLB is accepting entries for its 2026 Lighting Transformation Awards, recognizing innovative lighting retrofit projects that improve quality, efficiency, sustainability, and occupant experience. Projects completed in 2024–2026 are eligible, with final submissions due 28 August. The awards will be presented at the NALMCO Convention.
Yesterday the Dow dropped 116 points, NASDAQ was down 355. Acuity dropped $14.81.