The Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) is the ultimate showcase of entertainment lighting and video design work. The Awards take place in the UK and in the USA and judging at each is conducted by three, wholly independent panels of industry experts.
The next annual Knight of Illumination Awards USA ceremony and gala dinner will be held on the Friday, November 22 in Las Vegas alongside the LDI show.
Since its conception in 2007 KOI has continued to grow in stature and is now the most credible and sought after industry awards to celebrate lighting, projection and digital content design for entertainment. KOI-USA recognises work broadcast or performed in the United States across the fields of Theatre, Live Broadcast and Concert Touring & Events.
The Knight of Illumination Awards were conceived by lighting designer Durham Marenghi and his wife Jennie Marenghi in partnership with the Italian lighting manufacturer Claypaky – which to this day continues to support the awards as headline sponsor.
The awards and annual ceremony are managed by The Fifth Estate and Live Design International (LDI) on behalf of the KOI committee. We welcome nominations from, and for, everyone, irrespective of gender, age, race, religion, belief, identity, disability or sexual orientation.
CONCERT & EVENTS
Design awards for concerts and events that originated and took place in the United States between 1 August, 2019 and July 31, 2020
Arena Lighting
Lighting design for a show held in a 10,000+ capacity venue
Club Lighting
Lighting design for a show held in a venue with under 3,000 capacity
Stage Lighting
Lighting design for a show held in a 3,000-10,000 capacity venue
Festival Headliner
Festival headline shows, designed with a non-festival house rig
Concert Production Design
Production/scenic design for a concert performance or concert tour, any capacity venue
Event Lighting Design
Lighting design for an exhibition, corporate event, installation, etc.
Event Production Design
Production/scenic design for a corporate event or product activation, any capacity venue
Digital & Video Content
content created for a concert or event, any capacity venue
Event Lighting
Exhibitions, awards, corporate events, installations etc.
THEATRE
Design awards for dance, musicals, opera, and plays that originated and took place in the United States between August 1, 2019 and July 31, 2020
Dance
Lighting design created for dance, no venue capacity requirement
Musicals
Lighting design for a musical, no venue capacity requirement
Opera
Lighting design created for an opera, no venue capacity requirement
Plays
Lighting design created for a play, no venue capacity requirement
Video & Projection Design
Digital content created for a musical, theatre, opera, or dance piece
LIVE FOR BROADCAST
Design award for live televised broadcasts originated and aired in the United States between August 1, 2019 and July 31, 2020
Unscripted Series
Lighting design for unscripted television series, such as The Voice, American Idol, and Cuomo Prime Time
Live Performance Special (Music)
Lighting design for a live televised music performance, such as MTV Push episode featuring Billie Eilish, Amazon Prime Day Concert, and Kelly Clarkson’s US Open Opening Night Performance.
Live Performance Special (Non-Music)
Lighting designed for a televised live performance, such as Bethesda E3 Showcase, and the Funeral of Former President George H.W Bush
Digital Content
Digital Content created for a television show
Awards Shows Lighting
Lighting design for a televised awards show
Awards Shows Production/Scenic Design
Production or scenic design for a televised awards show
The Paky Lifetime Recognition Award
Each year, The Paky Lifetime Recognition Award is 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.
The Award is named in appreciation of Claypaky’s role in the creation of the Knight of Illumination Awards.
The KOI committee (alphabetically)
- Jess Allan
- David Benedict
- Coral Cooper
- Bernie Davis
- Marcus Doshi
- John Featherstone
- Rick Fisher
- Stuart Gain
- Kerstin Hovland
- David Johnson
- Ellen Lampert-Gréaux
- Anne Militello
- Peter Mumford
- Richard Pilbrow
- Jeff Ravitz
- Marian Sandberg
- Clifton Taylor
- Ross Williams
Executive Committee members (alphabetically)
- Durham Marenghi
- Jennie Marenghi
- Sarah Rushton-Read
