A lighting apparatus, particularly for the use as lighting elements in signage or as backlighting apparatus, which comprises a cavity formed by a light emitting front side, a reflective backside arranged opposite to the front side and a sidewall, and a plurality of light emitting semiconductor components mounted on the sidewall in such a way that their light is irradiated in the cavity. The reflective backside of the cavity is formed in such a way that the cavity is divided into at least two partitions directing the light to the front side.