WELCOME TO THE IES 2026 INDUSTRY PROGRESS REPORT SUBMITTAL SITE

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The IES Industry Progress Committee is mandated to: "keep in touch with developments in the art and science of lighting throughout the world and prepare a yearly review of achievements for the Illuminating Engineering Society". This program offers you an opportunity to present your important new products, research, publications and activities of the past year.

submission window and fees

Submissions Open
Submittal Fee Increases
Submittal Deadline
8:00AM ET, April 13, 2026
$200/IES Members
$250/Non-Members
12:00AM ET, April 27, 2026
$300/IES Members
$350/Non-Members
5:00 PM ET, May 8, 2026

Accepted submittals will be:

Presented during the Industry Progress Report at the Annual Conference
Awarded a presentation-grade certificate
Published in the LD+A magazine
Able to use an electronic seal from the IES Progress Report for use in marketing materials
Available in a slide show or video format for section meetings
CATEGORIES
POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANCES
PRODUCTS
LIGHT SOURCES
LUMINAIRES
POWER SUPPLIES
CONTROLS
LIFE SAFETY
ACCESSORIES
MATERIALS
SOLAR

    • Visual Performance

    • Optical Performance *

    • Efficiency / Energy *

    • Size *

    • Life *

    • Expand Lighting Impact

    • First to Market

RESEARCH

PUBLICATIONS

DESIGN TOOLS

    • A significant advancement in the art or science of lighting.

    • Advancement(s) in methods or aids to facilitate lighting design and/or application
* Provide specific information on how your product is a technological advancement over existing, comparable products.

INSTRUCTIONS & GUIDELINES

Submissions must conform to the following requirements:
Anyone may contribute submittals.
Submittals must be entered no later than May 8, 2026, 5:00 PM ET. Submittals received after this date will not be considered.
Commercial Introduction:

  • All lighting PRODUCTS must be introduced commercially between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026.

  • All RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS and DESIGN TOOLS must be completed (including all materials and/or research results) and announced between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026. Note that any research submitted must include in the support materials the full body of the research report for the Industry Progress Committee to determine its significance.  Any pre-publication materials will not be disseminated outside the Industry Progress Committee.

Physical (or decorative) aesthetics alone are not considered as an acceptance criterion.
The Industry Progress Committee may disqualify a submission without full review if any of the Instructions, Guidelines and Requirements are not met by the submitter.

requirements

The Industry Progress Committee utilizes the Progress Report Submittal Form and Accompanying Materials when considering an item for acceptance. First, state WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT or unique about the submittal compared to existing products in the industry. Then, SUPPORT IT WITH APPROPRIATE TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS. Product submissions must demonstrate evidence of "progress" in the industry. Submitters may be contacted by committee members (not IES staff) if additional material is needed prior to the review.

Accompanying Materials:

In addition to the form, each submittal must include a photo and technical data as evidence to support significance claims. The Industry Progress Committee requires a competitive comparison of the submitted product to appropriate products already in the marketplace prior to the beginning of the commercial introduction window (see above under Instructions, item 4). This requirement applies to products that claim an improvement in technical features, such as efficiency, efficacy, size, life or optical performance. Research publications and design tools are not required to have a competitive comparison.

Product Images:

    • Include one or more JPG product image(s) filed with your submission – do not send application images.

    • Must be high resolution with a minimum of 1000 pixels along each image axis.

    • Must be a photo of the product, the cover/introduction page of the research or publication, or captured images of the design tool in action.

    • May show a company logo ONLY if it is normally on the product. No additional company logo or information can be added to the image that further promotes the product.

    • Become the property of IES, and can be used for presentation and publication.

Support Documents:

    • Appropriate supporting information MUST BE SUPPLIED for each of your significance claims. An electronic file for each technical significance is required for the Committee to review the submittal.

    • A competitive market comparison/matrix is required for products that claim an advancement in a technical feature. This information is for Committee use only and will not be distributed or published.

    • Support files may include, but are not limited to:

      • Catalog sheets / cut sheets / installation drawings

      • Test records – photometric tests (pdf), LM-79/80 reports, independent test reports (No .IES files)

      • Calculations – layout showing dimensions, calculation summary and light levels

      • Drawings, illustrations

      • NO executable files (*.exe) or raw data files (*.ies) are accepted, and will not be considered

      • NO video files are accepted

      • Marketing brochures must include technical information and verified data, not just product photos

    • The total size of the attached support documents must not exceed 15MB.

Promotional Requirements

A Progress Report acceptance is only recognition of an item’s unique new feature(s) as new to the industry, and its use is subject to restrictions:

  • Acceptance is not to be promoted in a way that states or implies that IES endorses the product or has verified any product characteristic. To this end, any statement of IES recognition should be physically separated from product or marketing claims.

  • It must be clear that only the specific product recognized in the Report is promoted as being accepted.

  • Promotion of Progress acceptance of products cannot commence until the date that will be included in the acceptance letter.

Join the world's leading lighting professionals. Submit your project before the deadline.