The spotlight of achievement once again shines on light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Last year, Shuji Nakamura, with the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), received the 2020 National Academy of Science (NAS) Award for his world-changing developments in the field of LEDs. This year, Nakamura was named with other innovators for the 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering for fundamental advancements in solid-state lighting. Honored for their achievements were Isamu Akasaki (Meijo/Nagoya), Shuji Nakamura (UCSB), Nick Holonyak Jr (University of Illinois), M. George Craford, and Russell Dupuis (GA Tech). LED technology has become a crucial part of our world. The global industry for visible LEDs predicted to be worth over $108 billion by 2025. LED lighting is 75 percent more energy-efficient and 25 times longer lasting than traditional incandescent lightbulbs, thus helping to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Various types of LED-based technologies are being used to grow food, illuminate our spacecraft for astronauts and even play a surprising role in fighting COVID-19 by sterilizing air and water.