The observation of energy transfer from host to rare earth ions in Pr3+-doped CdSiO3 long-lasting phosphor is reported in this Letter. The important role of persistent energy transfer from the CdSiO3 host to the Pr3+ is demonstrated experimentally through photoluminescence spectra, time-resolved emission spectra and fluorescence decay curves. A significant spectral overlap between the emission of host and the absorption of Pr3+ (4d-5f) has been observed. By utilizing the principle of energy transfer, a promising approach for controlling the color-emitting is proposed to develop the multi-color long-lasting phosphors via persistence energy transfer from the long-lasting luminescent host to rare earth ions. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.