DLA Annual Conference &
General Assembly 2026

What nature knows about daylight – 
Inspirations across fields and disciplines 

What does nature know about daylight? This was the overarching question that participants looked into at the DLA Annual Conference 2026, which was co-hosted by the University of Copenhagen. Answers were sought across the wide range of fields that study or work with daylight.

Keynotes ranged from looking at how daylight can heal and clean, to the role of light in the origins of humans and life in general. As usual, the conference also included a wide range of parallel sessions dedicated to various topics where daylight plays an important role. A marketplace of DLA projects introduced participants to several interdisciplinary collaborations within the DLA. Meanwhile, early-career researchers were able to pitch their work in plenum. Last but not least, the interactive workshop “Daylight City Walk” allowed participants to explore and compare the effects of medieval, 20th century and contemporary urban planning on daylight exposure – all while walking through the beautiful city of Copenhagen.

This year was special in that the DLA celebrates its 10th anniversary. Furthermore, the Annual Conference took place in conjunction with The Daylight Award ceremony, which was presented by the DLA for the first time. We were delighted not only to present the award to the 2026 laureates, but also to host them at the conference, where their insights were highly appreciated.

Photos from the DLA Annual Conference 2026 are now on the Daylight Academy’s Flickr page. Feel free to check them out here.

Videos of the conference’s talks and panel discussion are coming soon on the Daylight Academy YouTube channel.