The Race to Replace the Common Light Bulb 

The Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L PrizeSM) 

competition is the first government-sponsored 

technology competition designed to spur lighting 

manufacturers to develop high-quality, high-efficiency 

solid-state lighting products to replace the common light 

bulb. It aims to substantially accelerate America’s shift 

from inefficient, dated lighting products to innovative, 

high-performance products. 

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 

2007 directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to 

establish the L Prize competition. The legislation challenges industry to develop replacement technologies 

for two of today’s most widely used and inefficient technologies: 60W incandescent lamps and PAR 38 

halogen lamps. It also calls for development of a 21st Century Lamp that delivers more than 150 lm/W. 

In each category, the competition will award up to three winners. The first entrant to meet all competition 

requirements will receive the cash prize plus opportunities for federal purchasing agreements, partner 

program promotions, and other incentives. Two additional winners will be eligible for federal purchasing 

agreements and all partner promotions and incentives. DOE welcomed the first competition entry in 

September 2009. 

Competition Requirements Set the Bar High 

L Prize submissions must meet strict technical specifications to ensure compliance with the general 

requirements outlined in the legislation. Additional details are also specified for quality, performance, and 

mass manufacturing. To download the complete competition requirements, see www.lightingprize.org. 

60W Incandescent 

Replacement Lamp 

PAR 38 Halogen 

Replacement Lamp 21st Century Lamp

 More than 90 lm/W 

 Less than 10 watts 

 More than 900 lumens 

 More than 25,000 hour life 

 More than 90 CRI 

 Between 2700–3000 K CCT

 More than 123 lm/W 

 Less than 11 watts 

 More than 1,350 lumens 

 More than 25,000 hour life

 More than 90 CRI

 Between 2700–3000 K CCT

 More than 150 lm/W

 More than 1,200 lumens

 Other attributes to be 

defined in a future L Prize 

announcement

The competition also includes a rigorous evaluation process for proposed products, designed to detect 

and address product weaknesses before market introduction, to avoid problems with long-term market 

acceptance. Comprehensive product evaluation will include performance and lumen depreciation testing 

conducted by independent laboratories, field assessments conducted in collaboration with utilities and 

other partners, and stress testing under extreme conditions. This multi-step evaluation process is designed 

to provide a high level of confidence in the performance and energy efficiency of the winning products. 
For more information on L Prize, 

see www.lightingprize.org. 

January 2010 |

EERE Information Center 

1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463)

www.eere.energy.gov

Partners Leverage Know-How and Market Pull 

A growing number of utilities and energy efficiency organizations from coast to coast have signed on 

with DOE as L Prize partners. These program partners have agreed to play an important role in evaluating 

and promoting the winning L Prize products, developing markets, and providing access to more than 100 

million customers from Los Angeles to Cape Cod. These organizations participate in bi-monthly planning 

meetings, working with DOE to develop region-specific plans for field assessments and product promotion. 

Field assessments of submitted products will provide valuable information on energy use, lighting system 

performance, reliability, customer acceptance, and cost-effectiveness in real-world conditions. Product 

promotions may include incentives paid directly to manufacturers or to consumers, collaborative 

marketing and educational campaigns, retailer partnerships, and demonstrations. To learn more, see 

www.lightingprize.org. 
Competition Requirements Set the Bar High 

The L PrizeSM competition is designed to spur development of highquality solid-state lighting products capable of replacing today’s most 

widely used and inefficient products: 60W incandescent lamps and 

PAR 38 halogen lamps. The Energy Independence and Security Act 

of 2007 directed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish 

the competition and outlined general competition requirements. To 

draw on lessons learned from past lighting market introduction 

experiences, DOE worked with leading energy efficiency programs 

and utilities to tap their expertise in developing a comprehensive 

technology competition program. 

The L Prize technical specifications comply with the general 

requirements outlined in the legislation, with additional details 

specified for quality, performance, and mass manufacturing. The 

competition requirements are designed to ensure that the winning 

products deliver excellent lighting quality. To view the complete 

competition requirements, see www.lightingprize.org. 

Requirement 60-Watt Incandescent 

Replacement PAR 38 Halogen Replacement 

Efficacy More than 90 lm/W More than 123 lm/W 

Light Output More than 900 lumens More than 1,350 lumens 

Wattage Less than 10 watts Less than 11 watts 

Lifetime More than 25,000 hour life 

Color Rendering Index (CRI) More than 90 

Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) 2700–3000 K 

Form Factor Same lamp form factor as incumbent technology 

Beam Distribution Beam characteristics equivalent to incumbent technology 

Dimming 

Products must be compatible with at least three widely available 

residential dimmers and must be continuously dimmable to at least 

20% of maximum light output 
For more information on L Prize, see www.lightingprize.org. 

Learn more about the DOE SSL CALiPER and GATEWAY 

programs at www.ssl.energy.gov. 

January 2010 |

EERE Information Center 

1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463)

www.eere.energy.gov

Competition Process 

 Intent to Submit. To participate in the L Prize competition, interested manufacturers must 

provide a letter of intent to submit. 

 Entry Package. Manufacturers must then submit a complete entry package that includes the 

required technical information, product samples, and a commercial manufacturing plan

describing their capability for mass production and distribution of proposed products. 

 Evaluation Part 1. Samples of proposed products will undergo performance testing at 

independent laboratories such as those participating in the DOE CALiPER program. 

 Evaluation Part 2. The L Prize technical review committee will assess the provided technical 

information, test results, and manufacturing capabilities. 

o Products that meet the competition requirements will then undergo at least 6,000 hours of 

lumen maintenance testing. 

o At the same time, DOE and program partners will coordinate field assessments using 

criteria established through the DOE GATEWAY demonstration program to evaluate 

energy use, lighting system performance, reliability, customer acceptance, and cost 

effectiveness. 

o DOE will also conduct stress testing, subjecting products to extreme conditions such as 

high temperatures, humidity, frequent switching, voltage fluctuation, and electromagnetic 

interference. 

 At key stages in the process, DOE may request additional information or follow up with 

submitters regarding the product or information provided. 

Selection of Winners 

Entries will be accepted for each product category until a winner is declared, or until 24 months have 

elapsed since the first award in that category, whichever comes first. In each category, the first entrant to 

successfully meet the full competition requirements will receive the cash prize. Up to two additional 

entrants may be eligible for program partner promotions. 
Program Partners Leverage Know-How 

and Market Pull 

Partners are key to the success of the L PrizeSM competition. 

Utilities and energy efficiency programs from coast to coast have 

joined the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to promote superefficient, solid-state lighting products to replace today’s most 

common light bulbs. L Prize partners assist DOE in evaluating 

potential L Prize products through field assessments and provide 

ready-made markets for winning products. 

New technologies are almost always more expensive when first 

brought to market due to low volumes and high development 

costs. By joining together to represent significant demand, the 

U.S. government and L Prize partners drive sales volumes up and 

prices down far more quickly than would otherwise be possible. 
For more information on L Prize, see www.lightingprize.org. 

Learn more about the DOE SSL CALiPER and GATEWAY 

programs at www.ssl.energy.gov. 

January 2010 |

EERE Information Center 

1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463)

www.eere.energy.gov

L Prize Product Evaluation 

Products entering the L Prize competition are evaluated in a multistep process designed to provide a high 

level of confidence in their performance and energy efficiency. Photometric and electrical testing of 

proposed products is conducted by independent laboratories, such as those participating in the DOE 

CALiPER test program. 

Program partners play a critical role in the evaluation process by conducting field assessments of 

proposed products. Field assessments use criteria established by the DOE GATEWAY demonstration 

program and include: 

 Installation in host customer facilities, such as homes, commercial spaces, or outdoor locations. 

 Installation in utility technology demonstration facilities. 

 Focus group testing with retailers, builders, and/or consumers. 

L Prize field assessments: 

 Evaluate energy use of the products when installed in-situ. 

 Characterize the lighting system performance as compared to the 

existing technology. 

 Evaluate reliability and customer acceptance of the products during 

the test period. 

 Evaluate criteria for cost-effective deployment through an energy 

efficiency program. 

Field assessment results provide valuable input for the ultimate selection of winners. 

L Prize Product Promotion 

Program partners play an important role in promoting and developing markets for the winning L Prize 

products. Up to three winners may be declared in each product category. A large amount of quantitative 

and qualitative data is available to support promotion of the winning products via: 

 Product incentives paid directly to manufacturers or to consumers. 

 Collaborative marketing and promotion. 

 Partnerships with local, regional, and/or national retailers. 

 Demonstrations and promotions with local homebuilders, commercial developers, hospitality 

chains, local governments, schools, universities, etc. 

Join Us 

For more information on becoming a program partner, contact lprize@pnl.gov.