The Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals has recognized Jimmy Kidd, CLVLT, COLD, owner and designer of Tranquility Lighting Design in Owensboro, KY, with its 2025 Feature-Focused Outdoor Lighting Award at Illuminate ’25, the association’s annual conference and expo. The award honors exceptional lighting design that highlights a specific outdoor feature, such as water elements, statuary, gardens, walkways or memorials.

Kidd’s winning project, located at VFW Post 696 in Owensboro, Kentucky, brought new visibility to a beloved veterans memorial along the town’s downtown riverfront.

“I knew the memorial was important to the veterans and other visitors that pass it every day,” said Kidd. “But I didn’t fully appreciate its emotional role until my first day on-site, when a group of veterans stepped out to play taps and honor the flag at sunset. That’s when I understood how personal this memorial is to them and how it serves as a daily point of reflection.”

The memorial now features a design that triangulates three fixtures per flagpole and integrates linear wash lights on both sides of the monument to eliminate shadows and enhance legibility.

“This was a complicated and labor-intensive installation,” said Kidd. “It was my first time lighting a public monument, and we’re proud of the final product.”

The project reveal, timed with a Veterans Day ceremony, brought the memorial’s renewed presence into full view of the community, including Post members, their families, local media and Boy Scout troops.

“The ceremony and lighting reveal were incredibly emotional,” Kidd said. “The appreciation from the community, and especially from those who’ve served, filled me with gratitude, patriotism and pride. It feels great to have this project recognized by my peers in the AOLP.”

For information on other industry awards presented at AOLP’s Illuminate 2025 Conference, visit AOLP’s website.