Royal Philips Electronics announces the launch of the 2011 Light World Tour, an initiative designed to share visual inspiration in the professional lighting design community. Individuals who work on or are touched by lighting design are invited to win a three-month tour to search for and visit the most inspiring and innovative lighting sights on earth. The winner is required to share the journey through daily blogging, photo and video uploads and tweets, developing a social media following of fellow lighting design professionals and enthusiasts.

Participation starts by uploading examples of which lighting designs inspire the entrants most, from natural wonders to professional installations and events such as the Guangzhou tower or the Australian Light in Winter festival. They can use the site’s social media features to drum up support for their entries. Site visitors and entrants’ supporters will vote for their favorite entries via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to propel contestants into the list of ten finalists.

Supporters and anyone who shares a passion for lighting can also use the site to recommend specific destinations for the winner’s travel itinerary. By uploading photos and videos of their favorite lighting sights, they will help Light World Tour create a permanent, shared online “sketchbook” of stimulating views and ideas for the global lighting professionals community.

User votes will determine the ten finalists and the winner will be selected by an international panel of experts chaired by Philips Lighting Vice President and Design Officer, Rogier van der Heide.

The winner will enjoy a trip of a lifetime around the world to visit the most compelling lighting sites, installations, and events. The chosen traveler will also have the opportunity to conduct interviews with leading designers, architects, technology experts and artists in the field. The traveler will use the Light World Tour website to make daily reports of the experience in writing, photo and video.

Rogier van der Heide, Vice President and Chief Design Officer, Philips Lighting: “Light World Tour is this year’s greatest opportunity for lighting professionals, lighting designers, architects and enthusiasts alike to visually share the planet’s best lighting inspiration.”

Detailed criteria for entries and online submissions for the Philips 2011 Light World Tour award can be found at http://www.lightworldtour.com.