International Day of Light

The Multimedia University of Kenya Optical Society will be holding a celebration of the International Day of Light (IDL) on 29th May 2026. Building on the tremendous success of their event for IDL 2025 - which drew 320 attendees, 4 companies, 7 universities, and 4 high schools - this year’s planned event will be even larger. Activities will include hands-on optics demonstrations , Internet of Things (IoT) competitions, lab tours at the National Institute of Optics and Lasers (NIOL), and industry exhibitions. Officially founded and registered in October 2023, the Multimedia University of Kenya Optical Society is anchored in Kenya’s first BSc in Applied Optics and Lasers, which was launched in 2016. In just three years, the society has grown into a recognised student chapter under Optica (since February 2024) and SPIE (since March 2025). A major highlight of IDL 2026 will be the official launch of the Women’s Chapter, a dedicated initiative to bridge gender gaps in STEM through mentor...

Who will be The Daylight Award 2026 laureates? As The Daylight Award approaches its 2026 announcement, anticipation is building around the new laureates who will join a distinguished group of previous recipients in the categories of Daylight Research and Daylight in Architecture. Awarded biennially, The Daylight Award honours individuals whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of daylight and its impact on life on Earth. Previous laureates, from pioneering researchers to visionary architects, have contributed to shaping a growing, interdisciplinary dialogue that connects science, design, and the built environment. The laureates will be revealed on Saturday, 16 May 2026, marking the UNESCO International Day of Light . The official award ceremony will take place in Copenhagen on 27 May 2026 and will be livestreamed globally, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the laureates’ lectures and join the ongoing conversation on the role of daylight in our lives...

  From 18 to 20 May in Wuhan, China will be held the 2026 Optics Valley of China International Optoelectronic Exposition.

  On May 17th, in Tucson, Arizona, United States; The 2026 International Day of Light Celebration will be held.

  From June 12 to June 14 in Changchun, China will be held the 2026 Changchun International Optoelectronic Expo – Light Conference.

  From 13-20 May 2026 in Ghent, Belgium will be held the 2-daagse DIALux evo.

  Running for nine nights over three weekends in March 2026, the coastline and sky of the portside city of Albany/Kinjarling in Western Australia were transformed by Lighting the Sound , a dramatic and immersive large-scale light-art installation. Designed and implemented by Finnish light artist Kari Kola together with arts and cultural organisation FORM, the work was co-designed with Menang Elders and the Albany community. Lighting the Sound embodies the Menang-first approach and principles of reconciliation central to the Albany 2026 vision. Rooted in the wisdom of the Menang (or Bloodroot) plant, from which the region’s First Nations people take their name, this initiative celebrates tens of thousands of years of unbroken connection and creates the opportunity for Menang people to tell their story. The visual language of the work drew from the bloodroot plant - its vivid pigments, earthy hues, and elemental strength. These natural colours formed the basis of the installation...

It was around 1826-1827 that the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce captured what is generally considered to be the first surviving photograph , le Point de vue du Gras , a view from a window of a country estate in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes. The image was created by a process that Niépce had invented around 1822, using a camera obscura to project an image onto a pewter plate thinly coated with bitumen. The bitumen hardened in areas strongly exposed to light, but remained soluble in areas more weakly illuminated, such that it could be washed away to reveal an image. Photography has since revolutionised virtually every area of society - in science and technology, art, culture, education, family life, politics, and more. By giving us the ability to freeze moments in time, photography has fundamentally transformed how we document and share our human experience. Throughout 2026 and 2027, a number of celebrations of the photography bicentenary will take place, including a major national initia...

  From July 7-10, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal, the 7th International Conference on Applications of Optics and Photonics, AOP2026 wil be held.

  On May 18th, 2026 in Braga, Portugal; A photo exhibit entitled the "Dark side of the moon“ will be presented to mark the International Day of Light.

  From Oct 1-10, 2026 in Prishtina, Kosovo, explore the “Spirit of the River” an urban artistic lighting project.

  We are very pleased to highlight the newly established Libya National Node, led by the Research Center of Optical Fibers and Lasers at the College of Electrical and Electronics Technology (CEET) in Benghazi. In recent years, researchers within CEET have organised a range of workshops and hands-on sessions for both students and professionals, including collaborations with the Man-Made River Project that was built to transport groundwater from underground aquifers in the Sahara Desert to coastal cities where the majority of the population is concentrated. Building on this momentum, a 20-hour postgraduate training course on optical fibre networks will run throughout April 2026, with field training and visits to optical fibre deployments in Benghazi planned for May. More general outreach activities aimed at young students and the general public have focused on simpler experiments illustrating the basic properties of light , and also describing the rich heritage of Arabic contributi...

" Unite to Light " is a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit organisation that provides solar-powered lighting and charging solutions to people around the world living without access to electricity. Indeed, over 700 million people still live without reliable access to electricity, yet it is widely known that access to clean, affordable light and energy is critical to improving health, education, and prosperity. Since its founding in 2010, Unite to Light and its partners have distributed over 275,000 solar lights and chargers to more than 80 countries, aiming to address key needs in education, maternal and child health, disaster response, and homelessness support. For the International Day of Light 2026, Unite to Light will host the Illuminating Impact: Thought Leadership Summit on May 15th at the Direct Relief Headquarters in Santa Barbara, focusing on discussing aspects of innovation, collaboration, and leadership at the intersection of light, sustainability, and global impact . ...

  The CIE invites you to join its upcoming special webinar entitled Lighting the Way: Finding Balance Between Safety, Beauty, and the Night Sky on the topic of light pollution, in celebration of the International Day of Light 2026 (16 May). The webinar will take place on Friday, May 15, 2026 from 15:00 - 16:30 CEST. Date & Time: May 15, 2026, 15:00 (CEST) via Zoom Duration: 1.5 hours (including Q&A session) The webinar is free to join, but registration is required. REGISTER HERE This webinar will bring together various perspectives on current practice and emerging priorities in light pollution , highlighting developments in policy, regulation, scientific research, and municipal and regional initiatives. The session will provide an opportunity to hear different viewpoints, learn what is happening in practice, and reflect on how these developments relate to existing CIE work and relevant CIE publications. It will also facilitate exchange between experts to support CIE’s gui...

  On May 11th 2026 will be held the 360CARLA Symposium Manufacturing.

  May 7th, 2026. You are invited to participate to the [en]LIGHTenment Journey.