Meet the Founders With the winners of the 23/24 Silhouette Awards to be announced at the end of February, the programme’s founders, Eve Gaut and Katia Kolovea, look back on how it has grown globally since its formation three years ago.
SILHOUETTE AWARDS EVE GAUT & KATIA KOLOVEA
Now in its third year, the Silhouette Awards is continuing to shine a light on emerging talents within the lighting industry. The winners of the prestigious 23/24 awards will be announced during a virtual celebration at 3pm GMT on Wednesday 28 February, to celebrate the rising stars and discover the pairings of the 20 Silhouette Awards Mentees with their Mentors. We sat down with Silhouette Awards Co-Founders, Eve Gaut of Parrot PR and Marketing, and Katia Kolovea of Archifos, to discuss how the programme has evolved over the last three seasons, and what we can expect to see for the future of the awards. One of the biggest achievements of the rewards programme is the extensive community that it has built within the lighting and design industries. Once the 23/24 winners are announced, the Silhouette Awards network will include around 60 mentors and 60 mentees, connecting lighting designers in various fields to support each other with collaborations. Gaut states: “The most rewarding thing for me is supporting the industry I’ve worked in for more than 20 years and seeing emerging new talent come through. We are incredibly grateful to see this project in its third year, continuously growing our community of mentors, mentees, sponsors, partners, and supporters. There are so many who have supported the programme from day one, supporting the future of the lighting design profession by ensuring we can keep growing and providing opportunities. It’s so fulfilling to know 118 / 119
that the programme is solidifying a wonderful community and how it’s going from strength to strength with winners from across the globe.” The far-reaching popularity for the awards has been demonstrated by the vast number of entries which were received from candidates all across the globe, making this programme truly international. Kolovea adds: “It’s fascinating to receive applications from all corners of the globe. In three years, we have had submissions from 28 countries, and we are grateful to see the positive, overwhelming response from the lighting design community across the globe, wherever our team is traveling to spread the word about the programme and support the growth of the lighting design profession. It is an honour to meet young designers, see upcoming talents, and grow our network with people who are passionate and want to embark on a mentoring journey. We are very active in participating in events and exhibitions worldwide to support the community and to meet our mentors and mentees, including IALD Enlighten Americas, IALD Enlighten Europe, Light + Intelligent Building Middle East, Light + Building, the Workspace Design Show and LiGHT 23.” As the word continues to spread about the awards, there has been an increase in mentor applications in response to the open call, which demonstrates the willingness of the lighting industry to support future talent. Kolovea continues: “We have seen many young designers re-apply and those who maybe didn’t