The development of novel luniinescent iridium(III) complexes with highly tunable emission energy and versatile applications is of particular importance. In this Communication, a series of luminescent iridium(III) complexes supported by chromophoric pyridinium-derived N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands that display tunable emission from 516 to 682 nm were prepared. These complexes can be used as photocatalysts in photooxidation and photoreduction reactions and could have potential applications in pH sensing.