HEMA Design Contest 2026Finalist

licht bij?

From now on, always close at hand.

The idea started with an everyday habit: carrying keys. Licht bij? brings a detachable white front light and red rear light together on the same compact keychain.

2lights in one
75 × 35millimetres
USB-Cdual charging
The new Licht bij? customer poster showing both bicycle lights in use
The insight

Bike lights are easy to forget.
Keys, much less so.

A bike light is often on the wrong bike, in a drawer or in another bag. Keeping it with your keys makes it easier to have one when needed.

When you need them, you take the lights off the keychain and attach them separately to your bicycle. Afterwards, they go back with your keys.

The blue keychain holder, white front light, red rear light and keys
Two lights carried with the keys
Side view of the white and red bicycle lights switched on
White front light and red rear light
The white Licht bij? front light mounted around a bicycle handlebar
Elastic mounting without tools
Design principlesEveryday safety, resolved as one object
01

Compact

Small enough to live on a keyring, backpack or bag.

02

Stylish

A light should feel like an object worth keeping close.

03

Considered

Recycled PP, rechargeable batteries and a construction designed for disassembly.

04

Dual charging

Both lights return to one holder and charge through a single USB-C connection.

The compact Licht bij? holder attached to a set of keys
Product architecture

Two lights.
One charging home.

Each removable light has a clear lens, push-button LED board, rechargeable battery, dressed elastic and recycled PP base. The holder brings both lights together around a keyring clip.

  • 01White front light
  • 02Red rear light
  • 03Integrated charging contacts
  • 04Single USB-C connection
  • 05Design for disassembly
How it worksFour simple actions
01

Take

Remove a light from the keychain holder.

02

Stretch

Pull the dressed elastic around the mounting point.

03

Mount

Attach the white light at the front or the red light at the rear.

04

Recharge

Return both lights to the holder and charge when needed.

The proposal

An everyday idea, explained at a glance.

One poster follows the daily routine. The other shows the construction and use of the lights. Together they tell the whole story.

New customer presentation poster for Licht bij?
Customer proposition
New product presentation poster for Licht bij?
Product construction and use
HEMA Design Contest 2026

Licht bij? earned me a place among ten finalists from more than 500 applicants.

Public voting is open until 23 October 2026, with one vote per person. You do not need to sign in first. On HEMA’s voting page:

  1. 01Scroll down to “lichtbij” by Janne Waes.
  2. 02Select the checkbox beside the design.
  3. 03Click “Bevestig jouw stem” to confirm your vote.
Vote at HEMA View the HEMA announcement
Janne Waes naast haar fiets met een Licht bij?-lampje aan haar sleutelbos
Janne in the press · Gazet van Antwerpen

A finalist from Bornem, with a bicycle light on her keychain.

Read Gazet van Antwerpen’s story about the HEMA Design Contest and Janne Waes.

Read the article in GVA