Back in the March issue, we reported at length on the winners in the 2020 Sapphire Awards program, explaining the key features that earned each product recognition at the sixth annual awards reception on Feb. 12. While hosting aboard the flight deck of the USS Midway that evening, chief editor Maury Wright observed that each year the judging gets more difficult due to the narrowing of the gap in performance of many solid-state lighting (SSL) products, and that innovation has evolved to represent form, function, and flexibility across all technology and application categories, as well as the quality of light necessary for a luminaire’s intended purpose. Here we outline the scoring of products that receive 3.25 Sapphires and above.
As in previous years, the judges were tasked with evaluating product submissions based on the quality of informational materials supplied as well as the described merits of the products, including datasheets, photometric reports, and other documents, and were scored from 0–5 Sapphires. Products were given a minimum of 3 Sapphires if they were deemed suitable for commercial deployment. For a product to receive a score of 3.25 Sapphires or above, it must perform efficiently and reliably, contribute to profitability, and demonstrate ease of use. Scores above 3.75 Sapphires were given to entries that were judged to deliver excellent performance via criteria such as high efficacy, effective beam distribution, and superior light quality, for example; and/or added value such as ease of installation, integration, and/or use, granular control, intelligent features beyond dimming and on/off scheduling in the case of smart components and controls, among others.
All products were judged solely on appropriate functions and features within each category — meaning that the same performance expectations would not be applied to a test tool, smart lighting system, and outdoor luminaire, and so on.
Judging by the submissions in this year’s program, companies in the LED and SSL sectors have heard their peers’ comments and demands for the industry to step up and move beyond traditional form factors and simply replicating the experience of conventional light sources. Many of the entries were judged to facilitate finished product quality, deliver high-quality illumination, enable the right type of light at the right time for the established application, or bring new levels of aesthetic achievement to lighting projects.
3.25
Keystone Technologies
Smart Port LED Sensors — Smart and Connected SSL Enabling Technologies
Keystone Technologies
Step Down Transformer — LED Drivers
Nichia Corporation
Tunable White 757 – NF2W757G-MT — Tunable White LEDs and Light Engines
3.50
Columbia Lighting
Versify — Indoor Troffer, Track, and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design
ConTech Lighting
Mini-Stealth Wall Wash Track Luminaire — Indoor Troffer, Track, and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design
Dialight
Reliant High Bay — Industrial SSL Luminaire Design
eldoLED
SOLOdrive 30W DMX — LED Drivers
ELR
NEST ND+ (50- and 70-mm) — Indoor Troffer, Track and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design
Enlighted
Enlighted One — Smart and Connected SSL Systems
ERP Power
LT3E LED Driver featuring Tri-mode Dimming with Integrated Tunable White Light Engine — Tunable White LEDs and Light Engines
Espen Technology
VersaDim RF — Smart and Connected SSL Systems
Finelite, Inc.
FineTune Tailored Control System (TCS) — Lighting for Health and Wellbeing
IllumiSci
IllumiTile Light Engine – Configurable LED arrays (Model IS-IT-89MM) — SSL Flex, Tiles, and Sheets
Lumileds
LUXEON CSP HL1 — Packaged LEDs and OLEDs
Lumileds
LUXEON Fusion — Tunable White LEDs and Light Engines
Lumileds
LUXEON IR ONYX — Packaged LEDs and OLEDs
Luminis
Multilux — Indoor Troffer, Track, and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design
Signify
Fortimo InstantFit (Model Number: 929001673906) — SSL Lamp and Retrofit Designs
Soraa, Inc.
Soraa HEALTHY MR16 Lamp — Lighting for Health and Wellbeing
3.75
A-Light
WGD9 — Indoor Decorative and Pendant SSL Luminaire Design
Bridgelux
Vesta Flex — LED Drivers
Elemental LED
NEON BLAZE RGB Diffused Linear LED Lighting — Outdoor Landscape and Architectural SSL Design
Healthe by Lighting Science
SunTrac Ecosystem, with Automated Scheduling — Lighting for Health and Wellbeing
Hubbell Lighting
SpectraClean — Specialty SSL Design
Igor
Nexos Linear Max Node Series — Smart and Connected SSL Enabling Technologies
Isollux LED Ltd
Soffito (SFO-IP65-UT-85-180W-ND) — Industrial SSL Luminaire Design
Kenall
TekLink TL2000PS Parking Suite — Smart and Connected SSL Systems
LEDvance
BIOLUX HCL System — Lighting for Health and Wellbeing
Lucetta Lighting
CELESTE Flexible Linear Lighting — SSL Flex, Tiles, and Sheets
Luminis
Lumiquad — Outdoor Street and Area SSL Luminaire Design
McWong International Inc.
TruBlu Bluetooth-DALI Wireless Fixture Controller — Smart and Connected SSL Enabling Technologies
Mean Well USA Inc.
HVGC-1000 — LED Drivers
Meteor Lighting
WHIZ 2.0 — Industrial SSL Luminaire Design
Osram Opto Semiconductors
OSCONIQ S 3030 Quantum Dot — Packaged LEDs and OLEDs
Samsung Electronics
LM302N (SPMWH3326FC5FBU0S0) — Packaged LEDs and OLEDs
Samsung Electronics
Samsung T-series (SPHWHAHDNH25YZWPT1) — Tunable White LEDs and Light Engines
Signify
ELI-S-10 10VA Pure Sine Wave Emergency Nano Inverter — Emergency SSL Luminaires, Modules, and Drivers
Universal Lighting Technologies
EVERLINE PWX LED Drivers — LED Drivers
4.00
Agnetix
A3-1200-HERO — Horticultural Lighting
A-light
Absorb H — Specialty SSL Design
Bridgelux
Thrive — Packaged LEDs and OLEDs
Cooper Lighting Solutions (formerly Eaton Lighting Division)
Metalux Industrial WaveLinx Wireless Connected Lighting System Solutions — Industrial SSL Luminaire Design
Dow
DOWSIL EI-2888 Primerless Silicone Encapsulant — SSL Enabling Technologies and Test
ERP Power
LTM3 Tunable Color Light Engine — Tunable White LEDs and Light Engines
Evo-Lite, LLC
Auragami Flexible LED Light Sheet — SSL Flex, Tiles, and Sheets
Fluence by Osram
VYPR 2P — Horticultural Lighting
Fluxwerx
Rails — Indoor Troffer, Track and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design
Gamma Scientific
940 LED-200 Series Goniometer — SSL Enabling Technologies and Test
GVA Lighting
HL-DL-BLADE — Outdoor Landscape and Architectural SSL Design
Igor
Nexos Linear Network Node – Max — Emergency SSL Luminaires, Modules, and Drivers
Inventronics
EUM-DT Series, Next Generation Class P LED Drivers — LED Drivers
Kenall
LuxTran LTSI-A1 — Outdoor Street and Area SSL Luminaire Design
Kenall
MedSlot Family of Luminaires — Lighting for Health and Wellbeing
KIM Lighting
KFL Collection — Outdoor Landscape and Architectural SSL Design
MaxLite
PhotonMax LED Spot Light — Horticultural Lighting
Meteor Lighting
Duo 4 Up/Down Pendant — Indoor Decorative and Pendant SSL Luminaire Design
Nulite Lighting
Regolo1 — Indoor Decorative and Pendant SSL Luminaire Design
Samsung Electronics
Samsung ITM-Resi (ITM-D-BZ) — Smart and Connected SSL Enabling Technologies
Selux Corporation
Mistella — Outdoor Street and Area SSL Luminaire Design
Signify
Advance FlexTune System — Smart and Connected SSL Systems
Soraa, Inc.
Soraa VIVID Warm Dim MR16 Lamp — SSL Lamp and Retrofit Designs
4.25
Cooper Lighting Solutions (formerly Eaton Lighting Division)
Shaper Sense Acoustic LED Lighting (BOX and TRAP) — Specialty SSL Design
Diode LED, an Elemental LED brand
HYDROLUME SLIM 24V IP68 RGB Strip Light — Outdoor Landscape and Architectural SSL Design
eLumigen
LED Rough Service A19 Lamps — SSL Lamp and Retrofit Designs
Fluence by Osram
SPYDR 2i — Horticultural Lighting
Fluxwerx
Profile Mini — Indoor Decorative and Pendant SSL Luminaire Design
Glint Photonics, Inc.
Glint Hero — Indoor Troffer, Track, and Downlight SSL Luminaire Design
LED Linear USA
NEXUS – Ultra High Definition LED Flex Tape — SSL Flex, Tiles, and Sheets
Nichia Corporation
Vitasolis (NF2W757GT-V3F1 Rv—-) — Packaged LEDs and OLEDs
Vektrex
SpikeSafe SMU (Model Number: 10A SpikeSafe SMU) — SSL Enabling Technologies and Test
4.50
ANP Lighting
EQ Collection – Post Top Luminaires — Outdoor Street and Area SSL Luminaire Design
Circadian ZircLight Inc.
CIRCADIAN Zirc Day-Night Mid-Power LED Set — Lighting for Health and Wellbeing
Cooper Lighting Solutions (formerly Eaton Lighting Division)
Ephesus Lumadapt 8 LED Sports Lighting System — Specialty SSL Design
Eureka Lighting
Arena 8200 and accessories 8290-8291-8292-8293 — Indoor Decorative and Pendant SSL Luminaire Design
4.75
Cree Lighting
Cadiant Dynamic Lighting Experience — Lighting for Health and Wellbeing
2020 Sapphire Awards Judging Panel
Jim Benya, Benya Burnett Consultancy
Carl Bloomfield, Intertek
Chris Brown, Nextgen Lighting
Deborah Burnett, Benya Burnett Consultancy
Monica Hansen, LED Lighting Advisors
Eric Haugaard, Cree Lighting
Duncan Jackson, Billings Jackson Design
Brad Koerner, Koerner Design
Clifton Stanley Lemon, Clifton Lemon Associates
Steve Paolini, Telelumen
Kris Sandheinrich, KGM Lighting
Wilhem Sillevis-Smitt, Lumileds
Philip Smallwood, Fluence Bioengineering
Aaron Smith, Finelite
Erik Swenson, Nichia
Robert Steele, Strategies in Light
Carrie Meadows, LEDs Magazine
Maury Wright, LEDs Magazine
