In a world where audiences are no longer satisfied with mere bright lights and loud music, the Excellence in Live Design Awards 2026 have singled out projects in which lighting, production and XR design merge into a single experience. The winners — from concerts in China to immersive installations at sea — show how the live entertainment industry is responding to an audience that wants not just spectacle, but emotional immersion.
Among the laureates are Shan Yi Chun's "Lil" Sis 2.0 tour with lighting designer Hsiang-Lin Wu, where the light changes depending on the vocal texture of each song, and Sun Yanzi's stadium concert "AUT NIHILO" by the same designer. These projects demonstrate how traditional concert lighting is evolving: it is no longer a lamp for the stage, but an instrument that responds to the performer's emotions and creates a personal space for thousands of spectators at once.
The jury gave particular attention to XR and immersive formats. Peter Flaherty's Empire at Sea project in the Architainment/Immersive Experience category combines a real maritime space with digital layers, turning a cruise into a living installation. Similarly, Spellbound by Magic Castle on the water and the permanent installation The Wonderwall in a church in Cincinnati prove that the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds are blurring, and that lighting design and production are becoming guides into alternative realities.
In the theatrical and corporate categories, the winners were Les Années 60 at a French theatre and the All In Podcast Summit in Los Angeles. Here production teams solve not only technical but also cultural challenges: how to convey the spirit of the 1960s through light and stage, or how to turn a podcast summit into a technological space where the building's architecture becomes part of the show.
The overall trend is obvious: the award captures a shift from pure spectacle to hybrid experiences, where XR and advanced lighting help overcome the alienation between artist and audience. As in the case of the four-sided stage of the Shan Yi Chun tour, where light creates a "spiritual island" for all participants.
These awards are not merely recognition of individual designers' talent, but a signal to the industry: the future of live design lies in the ability to integrate technology so that it enhances human connection rather than replacing it. In 2026, the best projects no longer merely light the stage — they rewrite the rules of how reality is perceived at live events.
