The outdoor competition portion of the Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) award program has officially been opened. Sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), the NGL competition began in 2008 with the intention to recognize and promote excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED commercial lighting luminaires. Its roots were based on the market's critical concerns about SSL product performance and quality.
 
The submission process will take place in two stages. Initial submissions to the competition website are due by August 3 and final submission forms are due August 31. Product samples are due by September 7.

The winners will be announced during Pennwell’s Strategies in Light event on February 12-14, 2013 in Santa Clara, CA. At that time, awards will be presented to all distinguished products and the results – including manufacturers’ identities, product descriptions, testing details and judging comments – will be published by NGL via print and web and publicized at industry events around the country. Past winners have received considerable press coverage.