The Illumination & Philaments Awards is an awards program that recognizes professionalism, ingenuity, and originality in lighting design based upon the individual merit of each entry judged against specific criteria. The competition is open to firms in the Philadelphia Area

Judges are selected from a broad professional spectrum that represents knowledge of lighting and design excellence. The judging system is based entirely on how well the lighting design does or does not meet the program criteria. This program is not a competition. The program is open to any qualified entrant without limitations as to professional affiliations. The Guth, Waterbury, Cutler, Energy and Environmental Design Award sponsored by Osram Sylvania and the Control Innovation Award sponsored by the Lighting Controls Association are parallel programs created to recognize outstanding lighting design.