The color-tunable phosphor ZnWO4:Sm3+, Bi3+, Li+ has been prepared via a solid-state reaction method. The white light was attributed to the color mixture of blue-green and orange-red emission, which originated from the charge transfer transition of W-O and the transition emission of Sm3+, respectively. The obtained phosphors exhibited a strong traditional band at 305 nm and a new band at about 351 nm which comes from the S-1(0)-P-3(1) transition of Bi3+. White light with tunable color emission for ZnWO4:Sm3+, Bi3+, Li+ phosphors were demonstrated by simply controlling the ratio of Sm3+/Li+. The calculated chromaticity coordinates were varying from blue to white region. When excited at about 351 nm, these phosphors have a strong orange-red light. These results indicate that the phosphor of ZnWO4:Sm3+, Bi3+, Li+ which can generate tunable blue-white-red light may be a promising element for cost-effective diodes with near ultraviolet white light emitting properties. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.