Forge’s LDI and Live Design Announce the 2026 Excellence in Live Design Award Winners

Exceptional projects recognized for creative excellence, technical innovation, and their impact on the global live entertainment industry

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forge's LDI and Live Design today announce the winners of the 2026 Excellence in Live Design Awards, recognizing exceptional creativity, technical achievement, and innovation across the global live entertainment and events industry.

Returning in 2026 with an expanded international focus, the Awards celebrate the visionary designers, creative teams, producers, technologists, and production professionals behind some of the world's most extraordinary live experiences.

Selected through public voting by the LDI and Live Design communities, this year's winners represent outstanding achievements across concert touring, theatre, broadcast, corporate events, immersive environments, and venue design.

From ambitious productions and groundbreaking visual environments to innovative uses of technology, the winning projects reflect the creativity, collaboration, and technical expertise driving the industry forward.

"The Excellence in Live Design Awards celebrate the extraordinary talent, imagination, and technical expertise that bring live experiences to life," said Marian Sandberg, VP and Brand Leader, LDI. "The caliber of work represented by this year's winners speaks to the innovation and creativity across our industry. We're proud to recognize these remarkable projects and the teams behind them, and to share their achievements with our global community.”

Celebrating the 2026 Winners

The 2026 Excellence in Live Design Award winners:

• Architainment/Immersive Experience:
  Empire at Sea
  Created, Directed, and Produced by Peter Flaherty
  
• Concert – Arena/Theater (Under 20,000 Capacity):
  2026 Shan Yi Chun “Lil” Sis 2.0 Concert Tour
  
  • Artist：Yi-chun Shan 單依純
  • Lighting Designer：Hsiang-Lin Wu 伍翔麟
  • Lighting Design Company： ANH Design Company 禾火設計
  • Production Company：Production Team Unit Company Limited
  • Show Director / Creative Director：rabbit@ptu
  • Stage Designer：Hao Design 如何設計 - Hao-Hsin Cheng 鄭皓心
  • Video Designer：Szu Chieh @ ReCore Multimedia Arts Limited Company
  • Video Designer（ Interlude 、《有趣》、《好想谈恋爱》、《我表示理解》、《纯寐寐》、《Tender》、《一个人跳舞》、《空耳》、《还你茉莉》) ： wowlab 有點東西視覺實驗室
  • Lighting Programmer：ANH Design Company 禾火設計
  • Lighting Crew Chief：Lin-hai Cheng 程林海、Jin Cheng 程金、Feng Li 李锋、Zhi-hui Huang 黄志辉
  • Lighting Vendor：Defeng Performing Arts Engineering (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. 德峰演艺工程（广州）有限公司、EK Lights EK灯光
  • Technical Director：126 TECH SOLUTIONS ｜NELSON YEOH
    
• Concert – Stadium Tour (20,000+ Capacity):
  2026 "AUT NIHILO" Sun Yanzi in Concert
  
  • Lighting Designer：Hsiang-Lin Wu 伍翔麟
  • Creative / Show Director：Tsung-Chun Yang 楊宗錞 、Crystal Chuang 莊惟惞
  • Stage Designer：Meng-Ying Huang 黃孟瑩、Yi-Jou Lin 林沂柔
  • Lighting Programmer：ANH Design Company 禾火設計
  • Lighting Director / Operator：Hsiang-Lin Wu 伍翔麟
  • Lighting Crew Chief：ANH Design Company 禾火設計
  • Video / Visual Team Chief：KamTsia Studio 甘蔗影像工作室
  • Production / Technical Vendor：B’in Live Co., Ltd. 必應創造
  • Lighting Vendor：B’in Live Co., Ltd. 必應創造

• Corporate Event:
  All In Podcast Summit: Production 360
  • Robert Velazquez, Modern Illumination Productions.
  • Robert Velazquez: Production designer, equipment provider and project manager
  • Rick Boot: Assistant Project Manager & Audio designer
  • Dave Luff: Show Master Electrician
  • Joseph Barboa: Lead Rigger
  • Tyler Jenkins: MA3 Console Operator
  • Same Tebush: Video Lead
  • Daun Jeon: Video Lead
  • KT Agul: A1
  • Max Esparza: Audio systems tech
  • James Scott: Master Electrician (Vendor Power)

• Live for Broadcast:
  Crossroads Church Oakley: The Wonderwall
  • Brian Tome, Senior and Founding Pastor
  • Craig Dockery, Creative Director
  • Patrick Buescher, Assistant Director, Experience Team Operations
  • Ben Nicholson, Technical Consultant to the Project
  • Nathan Paul Taylor: Production and Lighting Designer

• Theatre Production:
  Les Années 60
  Production: Theatre de la Tour Eiffel
  • Theater manager: Rémy Caccia and Christelle Chollet
  • Director: Lucy Harrison and Rémy Caccia
  • Lighting designer: Boris Jacob
  • Video designer: Rémy Caccia
  • Sound designer: Nicolas Lemperier
  • Costume designer: Claire Djemah
  • Set designer: Marc Morange
  • Choreographer: Olivier Bénard
  • Vocal coach: Magali Bonfils
  • Sound engineer: Thomas Plé, Téo Caccia, Barnabé Letellier
  • Lighting operator: Boris Jacob, Estelle Jalinie
  • Stage technician: Pauline Bernard, Samuel Roulleau, Barnabé Letellier
    
• Venue – Experiential:
  Spellbound by Magic Castle

For hiddenlemons:

• • Alex M. Calle - Creative Director
  • Sarah Dawn Lowry - Production Manager
  • Dakota Tracht / Jacob Lindegren - Art Director
  • Jared LeClaire - Media Producer
  • Stefani Palmer - Graphics
  • Kristie Rose Nonberg - Fabricator
  • Fernando Vasquez - Sound Designer
  • James Geyer - Fabricator
  • Caitlin Doukas / Jordan Fell / Jessica Moreno Caycho - Costumers
    

ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING:

• • Michael Lagrotteria - Principal Designer
  • Heather Konish - Designer
  • Emily Hughes - Programmer
    

MAGICIANS & TALENT:

• • Neil Patrick Harris
  • Charlie Fry
  • Chef Anton
  • Lindsay Benner
  • Liberty Larsen
    

SHOW GIRLS:

• • Nadia Lotte
  • Brynn Route
  • Danni Doll
  • Vixen DeVille

THE MAGIC MAKERS:

• • AKJOHNSTON Group
  • Ballards Artwork Framing
  • CECOCECO / ArtMorph
  • Characters Unlimited
  • Control AV
  • Craig Knudsen, Yamaha Corporation of America
  • Egan Productions
  • Fidelity Arts
  • Forward Thinking Designs
  • G-Man Design
  • J Elliott & Co
  • John Beesley, Bee Software
  • Machineshop
    
    

Honoring the People Behind the Productions

Behind every extraordinary live experience are the creative visionaries, designers, technicians, and production professionals who bring ambitious ideas to life.

The Excellence in Live Design Awards celebrate the talent, innovation, collaboration, and technical expertise that make these remarkable productions possible, recognizing not just what audiences experience, but the people and ingenuity behind it all.

Selected by public vote, this year's winners represent the industry's recognition of exceptional work and the projects that have made a lasting impact on the global live design community.

Celebrating Excellence at LDI 2026

The 2026 winners will be recognized at LDI 2026, taking place December 2–8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Bringing together entertainment designers, technicians, producers, manufacturers, and technology leaders from around the world, LDI provides a fitting setting to celebrate the accomplishments of the industry's creative and technical community.

Each winning project will also be featured in a dedicated Project In Focus editorial spotlight on Live Design, with additional exposure through LDI and Live Design newsletters, websites, and social media channels.

To register to attend LDI 2026, click here.

For more information about the winners and the Excellence in Live Design Awards, click here.

About LDI

For nearly four decades, LDI® (Live Design International) has connected the live entertainment, design, and technology community with the latest innovations, education, and inspiration driving the industry forward. LDI brings together designers, programmers, engineers, production professionals, manufacturers, and technology leaders from around the world to discover new solutions, exchange ideas, and shape the future of live experiences.

LDI 2026 takes place December 2–8, 2026, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the Expo Hall open December 6–8.

About Live Design

Live Design is a leading resource for entertainment design and technology professionals, covering the people, projects, products, and ideas shaping live entertainment and experiences worldwide. Through news, in-depth features, industry insights, and education, Live Design connects the creative and technical professionals behind the world's most innovative productions and experiences.

About Forge

Forge is a leading global B2B events and media company, connecting buyers and sellers across high-value industries through live events, trusted media brands, digital products and year-round communities. Powered by first-party data, technology and deep market expertise, Forge helps businesses discover opportunities, build the right relationships and stay engaged well beyond the event itself. It is a company guided by a single purpose, Moving Markets.

For more information, visit forgelive.com.

Media Contact:
Charlene Soucy
Senior Director, Marketing
LDI
charlene.soucy@forgelive.com