History
Our world, made possible through light.
The International Day of Light is a global initiative that provides an annual focal point for the continued appreciation of light and the role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy.

Explore the 2023 campaign.
Created by Optica, IEEE Photonics Society and SPIE to highlight careers in optics and photonics.

Use photonics. Find a solution. Change the world.
Accepting applications 16 May - 21 July for US$100,000 prizes across three categories: environment, health and information.

Experience past celebrations.
Explore highlights from celebrations of 16 May: the International Day of Light since 2018.

Read perspectives from Nobel Laureates.
A collection of quotes from Steven Chu, Donna Strickland, Rainer Weiss and David Wineland on the importance of light science and technology.

Read perspectives from early-career professionals in the field.
From personal philosophies to research, light plays a key role in how our next generation of leaders thinks about the world.

Celebrate with Optics and Photonics News (OPN) magazine.
Discover a curated collection of articles from OPN.

Visit the official site for the International Day of Light.
Explore the content, register an event, stay connected to the celebrations taking place worldwide