STLD is proud to support the founding of the Profile Awards; now in its third year.

The Profile Awards have been created and are coordinated by Durham and Jennie Marenghi in association with the ABTT, the ALPD and the STLD; the Awards recognise lighting design excellence in Theatre and Television in the UK and the next ceremony will take place at the Alexandra Palace theatre on the 4th of June 2026. 

Alongside eight specific Theatre awards and eight TV awards there will be a Student Virtual Lighting Design competition and the Richard Pilbrow Lifetime Recognition Award in the name of Richard Pilbrow by kind agreement with Richard’s family and sponsored by Theatre Projects.

The awards for 2026 have been announced.

Nominations for 2027 are already open!

The awards ceremony is an informal cabaret style seating affair with plenty of opportunity to network and catch up with friends and peers with at least half of those in attendance being professional Lighting Designers.

Lighting Design students and programmers who attend UK colleges full time are invited to create a three-minute animation using the new release of WYSIWG 2026 visualisation software of a light show to music of your choice within a detailed model of the Royal Albert Hall, you will be able to use the embedded orchestra and audience layout or make a staging and performer design of your own.

The RAH model will be provided by Durham Marenghi and have a geometric truss structure with ten DMX universes of patched Ayrton lighting fixtures upon it. Though we prefer that entrants use the patched lighting rig within the WYSIWYG model you are allowed to change your preferred fixture type to other manufacturers and add SFX such as lasers, particle generators and atmospherics to suit your music choice.

To help empower emerging talent, all participating institutions will receive a complimentary copy of WYSIWYG 2026 Perform Lite Educational Edition, providing students with professional grade tools to craft their lighting designs and as part of the competition students will gain lighting design experience in a realistic, high-profile environment. Initiatives like this play a critical role in building skills, confidence, and a creative foundation that today’s students will carry into tomorrow.

Entries will be judged by the professional Profile Awards TV and Theatre nominees and the chosen Virtual competition student nominees will be published in May 2026. These students will receive an invitation to The Profile Awards event with the winner being announced live at the Awards at the Alexandra Palace on the 4th of June 2026. The deadline for MP4 video entries to [email protected] is the 30th of April 2026.