Submissions are now open for the 2019 edition of the highly-respected Knight of Illumination Awards USA (KOI-USA). The ceremony and gala dinner will return to Las Vegas on Friday, November 22 to celebrate the creative talents of lighting and video designers from around the world for their work across the sectors of Live for Broadcast, Theatre, and Concert Touring & Events in the United States.
The 2019 event will follow and build on the hugely successful inaugural KOI-USA Awards in 2018. Among the praise for the launch event, Concert Touring & Events judging panel chair, John Featherstone stated, "KOI-USA is the most significant night for event and entertainment lighting design in the US."
New judges USA, clockwise from top left: Norma Porter, Bill Klages, Paul Horsley, Nancy Wozny, David Waldman, Tara Denise, Lauren Quinn, Tiffany Spicer Keys
As with the original KOI Awards, which has run to great acclaim in the UK for more than a decade, the highly respected judging process remains key to the Awards' integrity. Once again for KOI-USA 2019, experts from all aspects of the industry will comprise the three judging panels.
Dance critic for the Chicago Tribune, Lauren Warnecke, steps up as Theatre chair, replacing Clifton Taylor who remains on the panel as a judge. John Featherstone returns as CT&E judging panel chair, and lighting designer Jeff Ravitz remains in his role as chair of the Live for Broadcast judging panel.
Three new judges will join this year's Theatre panel. Editor in Chief of Arts and Culture Texas, Nancy Wozny joins the panel to contribute her expert knowledge. Co-founder and Editor of Black Dance Magazine, Norma Porter brings a deep understanding of the world of dance to the Theatre panel. The third addition to the judging panel is Paul Horsley, a journalist for Dance Magazine, Musical America and The New York Times. Celia Ipiotis, Clifton Taylor and Chris Jones all return to serve their second term as KOI-USA judges.
Jeff Ravitz leads a panel of brand new judges, including eight-time Emmy Award-winning Lighting Director and Production Designer, Tara Denise; the only lighting designer to have been inducted to the TV Academy's Hall of Fame, Bill Klages; Lighting Director and Programmer, Tiffany Spicer Keys; Television Director, Lauren Quinn; and Cinematographer and Professor at Cal State Long Beach, David Waldman.
John Featherstone, Marian Sandberg, Barry Lather, Yelena Filipchuk, Angie Warner and John Huddleston return to their posts as Concert Touring & Events judges.
"It is wonderful to see KOI-USA return for the second year after such a successful inaugural ceremony during LDI last year," say KOI co-founders Durham and Jennie Marenghi. "We are very gratified to see lighting design and creative video and projection skills recognised across the pond!"
"We were thrilled and a little overwhelmed at the positive feedback to the inaugural KOI USA Awards," says LDI Managing Director David Johnson. "We seem to have tapped into a real desire in the US market to exclusively honor live design work in multiple disciplines as a way to bring some many of the industry's immensely talented artisans under one roof. We are excited to expand upon that first year with additional categories and some other special surprises to be announced soon."
Also new for 2019, new awards have been added to the categories to ensure industry-wide coverage. The new running order is as follows:
Theatre:
Plays - large venue
Plays - small venue
Opera
Dance
Projection
Musicals - large venue
Musicals - small venue
Live for Broadcast:
Awards Shows
Digital Content
Unscripted Series
Live Performance Special - Music
Live Performance Special - Non Music
Concert Touring & Events:
Club Tour Lighting
Concert Video Content
Stage Tour Lighting
Arena Tour Lighting
Festival/One-Off Lighting
Corporate Events
Corporate Events - Video Content
As in 2018, the ceremony is scheduled to coincide with the LDI Conference and Tradeshow.
To be eligible for submission, productions must have been performed or broadcast between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019. Submissions will close on 31 July. To submit a design for the 2019 Knight of Illumination Awards USA, please follow the link to the KOI-USA website: https://www.knightofilluminationawards.com/submite-a-us-production-to-receive-a-koi-award/