Winners of PLASA Awards for Innovation AnnouncedThe winners of the 2025 PLASA Awards for Innovation were announced on September 8 at The PLASA Show, held at Olympia, London. This year, 37 products were submitted, with the judges ultimately recognizing seven innovations. The panel also decided to present the Gold Award, which recognizes a product that is a true game-changer for the industry. The judging team for 2025 consisted of 11 independent and impartial technical experts from across the sector, chaired once again by chartered engineer and LSi columnist, James Eade. The winners are: Disguise - Ask AId3n. The judges found that the ease of creation of reusable workflow tools using natural language-like prompts demonstrates how emerging technology can streamline repetitive programming tasks, saving hours of hemorrhoidal gloom. Doughty Engineering - Lightweight Quick Trigger. A few simple changes to an existing product have led to a significant improvement to an established industry workhorse that the judges didn't initially think needed improving. So much so, they found it worthy of an award. Luminous Show Technology - HYDRA-STORM Rain Machine. A new approach to curated rain. The judges felt that this well-engineered technology allows for cost-effective ownership of rain effects for shows. Powersoft - NOTA 142/ The Swiss Army Knife of small amplifiers. With USB or PoE power, AES67 or USB audio input, and significant power out for a device the size of a Mars Bar. The judges were impressed with the versatility of this unit, which comes in at a very competitive price point. Robe - ProFrost. The judges were impressed with the continuously variable and even diffusion of this frost across the beam, even with the edges of gobos and shutters introduced. Vari-Lite - VLHive 151 Digital FX. The judges found that Vari-Lite has revisited its VL0 roots by demonstrating disruptive technology in this new product. The use of the digital light engine and minimal moving parts could foretell a significant shift in automated lighting technology. The winner of the Gold Award is: Sennheiser - Spectera. The judges felt that this product completely changes the rule book for wireless mics and IEMs. This is not just a new product but a revolutionary approach to the complete signal chain, including spectrum management. In addition to the winners, the judges also chose to commend two products, which are: Hive - Beeblade Nexus. The judges felt that the integration of ST2110 and video capture into Hive's re-engineered Beeblade product demonstrates a forward-thinking approach and opens up new workflows for users. d&b audiotechnik - CCL loudspeaker. The cardioid pattern behavior in a compact, lightweight cabinet with increased efficiency in amp channel counts was found by the judges to be quite novel and worthy of commendation. Judging chair Eade comments, "The 2025 PLASA Awards for Innovation attracted an exceptional field of entries, reflecting the creativity and technical excellence our industry is known for. The judges were particularly pleased to recognize advances not just in performance and functionality, but in long-term sustainability. Warm congratulations go to all this year's winners and commended products." Applications for the 2026 PLASA Awards for Innovation will open in summer 2026. 
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