Concert Touring and Events is judged by independent industry professionals from journalism and rental companies while the Television category, supported by the STLD, will again be judged by television industry professionals. The Theatre category, fully supported by the ALD, continues to be judged by professional critics from the National newspapers.
This year the organisers have further established the independence of the KOI Awards by opening a new level of table sponsorship to any company involved in the lighting industry. Companies from control to rental and all lighting manufacturers have been invited to join lighting and video designers, working in the United Kingdom, in a celebration of design. Already confirmed are: Avolites, Chauvet, D3, ETC, Fix8, Gallowglass, Gearsource, Green Hippo, HSL, Pharos, Philips, PRG, Rosco, Stage Electrics, TMB and TSL.
The KOI Awards is the only awards process established specifically for lighting, projection and video content design. Although it receives important financial and logistical support from founders and main sponsors, Clay Paky, the Awards themselves remain independent in terms of the judging process. This process continues to be carefully supervised by the UK's leading lighting Associations and our committee.
All the shows submitted are judged on merit of design alone. The choice of equipment used by the LD has no influence on the outcome of the awarding process.
The KOI committee, composed of members of the ALD, STLD, category chairpersons and the awards founders, consider the independence of the process to be a fundamental tenet to the value of the recognition made to our peers by our peers.
The KOI organisers and sponsors are looking forward to welcoming colleagues, previous awardees and this year's judges and nominees on 5 October. The KOI committee will be sending out invitations over the next few weeks. If you are a lighting designer or video professional, working in the UK, and do not receive an invitation by 31 August, contact Durham and Jennie Marenghi at mail@durhamld.com as this event is for you!
The main sponsors for this year's KOI have been announced as Hawthorn, MA Lighting, OSRAM and Robert Juliat.
(Jim Evans)
