This year marks the eighth KOI Awards, which celebrates the creative talents of international lighting and digital content designers working in the UK in the sectors of TV, Theatre and Concert Touring and Events.
With a new award category in Concert Touring and Events for smaller club venues, this year's KOI will widen its reach to celebrate LDs from all stages and scales of touring. Concert Touring and Events is also welcoming a new member of the judging panel in the form of Total Production International magazine editor, Kelly Murray.
Submissions are open for the Television and Concert Touring and Events categories and shows performed or broadcast between 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2015 in the UK are eligible. As with previous years the Theatre section can only be nominated by the judging panel.
Crucially, KOI continues to run as a pan industry event supported by the generous sponsorship of businesses operating across the industry. Award winning lighting designer and coordinator of the KOI awards Durham Marenghi explains, "In eight years KOI has established itself as a much coveted lighting and video industry award, respected for truly celebrating the art and creativity of lighting, video and show design. In fact so successful has the event been that last year it was referred to by the Guardian newspaper, in an article that detailed the creative value a lighting designer can bring to the overall production process."
The KOI Awards was conceived and is organised by lighting manufacturer, Clay Paky, along with the STLD (Society of Television Lighting Designers), the ALD (Association of Lighting Designers) and Durham and Jennie Marenghi.
This year's awards event will be produced and managed by The Fifth Estate Ltd, which also handles KOI's marketing and PR. As in previous years the Awards will be generously sponsored by a broad spectrum of manufacturing and service businesses connected to the lighting industry and kindly supported by important industry organisations and the press.
Today, the KOI Awards continues to forge ever-closer ties between lighting and video designers - at all stages of their careers - and the lighting and digital content design industry as a whole.
A panel of industry experts assesses each sector of the awards and submissions can be made for TV and Concert Touring by visiting the KOI Website. The shortlists will be announced in early September.
In addition The Enrico Caironi Lifetime Recognition Award will be presented to an individual whose passion for the industry has gone above and beyond the call of duty, in turn benefiting their colleagues, the industry and the wider world.
Last year's winners included: Paul Keogan, Joachim Klein, Andy Purves, Adam Silverman, Ethan Wang for Theatre; David Higgs, Chris Rigby, Hugh French, Ben Cracknell, and Luke Halls for Television; Will Potts, Andy Hurst, Matt Button and Paul 'Pablo' Beckett, Blue Leach and Cate Carter for Concert Touring and Events. The winner for Lifetime Achievement was Brian Croft.
To find out more about the sectors and subcategories or information on how you can submit an entry for television, theatre or concert touring and event lighting and visual content please visit: www.knight-of-illumination.com/categories
For more information and to make a submission for Concert Touring and Events or Television please visit the KOI website and social media sites at www.knight-of-illumination.com
(Jim Evans)
