Nonimaging Optics Conference

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2026 Conference Wrap-Up

Nonimaging Optics XXI at SPIE Optics + Photonics in San Diego has wrapped up! It was a fantastic two days filled with inspiring talks by familiar and new faces. Thank you to everyone who made this happen, and to everyone who attended!

Congratulations to Harithra Navaratnam from the Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who won this year’s Best Student and Postdoc Presentation Award! Thank you to Keysight for sponsoring the prize.

We congratulate Ludo Haenen from Signify for the best submission to our 2026 Optical Design Competition, achieving an impressive efficiency of 40.6%! Ludo was also the winner of the 2025 design competition. Jean-Pierre Lauret from Gaggione SAS took second place with 36.4% efficiency, followed by John Hygelund from Arthrex in third place with 36.3%. Congratulations to all three, and thank you to everyone who took on the challenge!

Keep an eye out for our 2027 Optical Design Competition, Étendue’s Final Battle, coming soon! Let’s build upon our optical momentum, continue to grow our étendue, and keep this field going strong to tackle new challenges in energy, illumination, and beyond!

Harithra Navaratnam holding her Best Student and Postdoc Presentation Award alongside Bill Cassarly and conference chairs Thomas Cooper, Lien Smeesters, and Håkon J. D. Johnsen
From left: Bill Cassarly from Keysight, sponsor of the prize; award winner Harithra Navaratnam; and conference chairs Thomas Cooper, Lien Smeesters, and Håkon J. D. Johnsen.
Cutaway view of Ludo Haenen's first-place optical designCutaway view of Jean-Pierre Lauret's second-place optical designCutaway view of John Hygelund's third-place optical design
The top three designs in the 2026 Optical Design Competition. From left: Ludo Haenen (40.6% efficiency), Jean-Pierre Lauret (36.4%), and John Hygelund (36.3%).