The Profile Awards 2027 Student Virtual Lighting Design Competition sponsored by CAST Group of Companies.

Lighting Design students and programmers who attend UK colleges full time will shortly be invited to create a three-minute animation using the new release of WYSIWYG 2026 visualisation software of a light show to music of your choice within a detailed model of the Royal Albert Hall, you will 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 has 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 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 can 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.

As we had so many entries this year they were all pre-judged by our panel of Paule Constable, Ed Warren, Jamie Thompson, Durham Marenghi and Ziggy Bornas (a US student who impressed last year and was unable to enter this year as we tightened the UK only rule with so many entries!) The final four chosen were then judged by the professional Profile Awards TV and Theatre nominees. These students received 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. 

Our lighting control sponsors Avolites, ChamSys , ETC and MA Lighting also offer some great support for their platforms if used in the competition details of which are included in the competition files package.

To Enter the competition you have to be a student in further education studying lighting design or programming at a college in the UK.

To enter for next year’s competition you will soon be invited to contact info@profileawards.com for the required competition files.

Check out our latest and previous years’ nominations and Awardees in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Awards sections.