The Silhouette Awards enters a fifth year, celebrating Mentors and Mentees worldwide

The Silhouette Awards, a global mentorship programme dedicated to identifying, celebrating, and supporting the next generation of talent in the lighting design industry, is proud to announce a milestone year ahead as it prepares to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

Launched in 2021 through a collaboration between Archifos and Parrot PR & Marketing, the initiative has already aided the transformation of the careers of more than 80 participants worldwide. Over the past four years, the Silhouette Awards has grown into a vibrant international community that champions creativity and vision across the lighting industry.

Each year, 20 outstanding mentees are selected through a competitive global application process. Applicants are invited to share their journey, achievements, and ambitions via a three-minute video – a format that makes the process both personal and inclusive, giving every applicant the chance to speak directly to the programme’s panel of mentors.

But the Silhouette Awards go far beyond individual recognition. At its heart, the programme fosters collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and long-term professional relationships between mentors and mentees. Connections forged often extend far beyond the official mentorship period, creating a supportive network that strengthens the global lighting design community.

As the programme enters its fifth year, momentum is building for a truly special celebratory season. By the end of this milestone year, the Silhouette Awards will have proudly partnered 100 mentors with 100 winning mentees, with an ever-expanding reach across the globe.

To mark the anniversary, the Silhouette Awards will be present at key industry events every month throughout 2025, offering the community multiple opportunities to come together and celebrate. Alongside an active press and social media presence, these events will showcase the achievements of the programme so far, as well as inspire the next generation of entrants, mentors, and sponsors.

The fifth season of the Silhouette Awards has now officially launched, with an exceptional group of mentors already confirmed and ready to share their expertise with the next generation. Applications for mentees will open on this date, inviting emerging lighting designers to participate in what will be an exciting journey.

Going into Year 5, the confirmed Silhouette Awards sponsors are:

Power – Huda Lighting

Core – formalighting and Signify

Light – ADO Lights, DiGidot, Ligman and Vivalyte

The Silhouette Awards are a collaboration between Parrot PR & Marketing and Archifos. To find out more – or to get involved as an entrant, future mentor, or sponsor – contact info@silhouetteawards.com.