Eindhoven, 10 March 2026 – The light festival GLOW has been awarded the prestigious Grand Prix at the National Event Awards. The board of the National Event Awards Foundation presented the accolade on Monday, 9 March 2026, during the National Events Congress in Zandvoort.
The Grand Prix is generally awarded every two years and recognises an existing event that, due to its scale, history, and impact, has become a unique phenomenon and made a lasting contribution to the Dutch events landscape. With this award, GLOW joins the ranks of previous winners such as Oerol, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Amstel Gold Race, Eurosonic Noorderslag, and Pinkpop.
Board’s Motivation
The board awarded the Grand Prix to GLOW based on the following considerations:
- A remarkable phenomenon: Since its first edition, GLOW has grown into an internationally leading light art festival. With hundreds of thousands of visitors each edition, the festival has firmly put Eindhoven on the map both nationally and internationally as a city of light, technology, and design.
- Impact on the sector: GLOW has played a key role in the development of light art and large-scale public events in the Netherlands. The festival has convincingly demonstrated the significance of public events for urban development, city marketing, and economic impact.
- Role model: Through innovative collaborations between artists, designers, knowledge institutions, and businesses, GLOW has for years served as an inspiring example for other events both in the Netherlands and abroad.
- Consistent quality and development: Across multiple editions, GLOW has maintained a consistently high level of quality, continually renewing itself both in content and organisation.
- Clear profile and identity: With a strong positioning around light art, technology, and innovation, GLOW has built a recognizable identity that is inseparably linked to Eindhoven.
- Deep local roots: GLOW is firmly embedded in Eindhoven. The festival connects residents, entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions, and cultural partners, strengthening the city’s social and economic fabric—and, since 2023, also the wider region with festivals in Helmond, Best, Oirschot, Veldhoven, and Lieshout.
Response from Philip Ross, Director of GLOW
“This Grand Prix is a tremendous honour and recognition for everyone who has contributed to GLOW over the years – from artists and partners to volunteers and visitors. Together, these people have made GLOW the wonderful festival it is today. This award underlines that GLOW has grown into a festival of national significance.”
At the award ceremony, in addition to Philip Ross, predecessors Ronald Ramakers and Eric Boselie also accepted the prize in recognition of their role in the festival’s development and growth.
About the Grand Prix
The Grand Prix of the National Event Awards is presented by the board of the National Event Awards Foundation. The award alternates annually with the Lifetime Achievement Award and is exclusively given to an existing event that has proven to be of exceptional significance to the Dutch events landscape over multiple years. With this distinction, GLOW confirms its position as one of the most influential and leading public events in the Netherlands.
