The competition for the Technical Invention Prize (TIP) during World Stage Design (WSD) 2025 is open for entries from technicians worldwide who have made a gadget, or devices or devised a smart solution for theatre, live performances, or the broader entertainment industry.
The competition is open to creative, simple, and original ideas developed by current or ex-theatre technicians for devices used in common practice on the stage, backstage, or front-of-house.
Initiated by the OISTAT Technology Commission, TIP is organized by World Stage Design 2025, which will take place from October 18th to 25th in Sharjah, UAE.
Free to enter, the closing date for submission is June 15th, 2025. A total of 20 entries will be chosen by a panel of eight international judges of which the top three finalists will receive cash prizes and get to exhibit their inventions at WSD 2025’s venue sponsor’s location, Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP), during the event.
“The creative problem-solvers in the live events and performance industries often go uncelebrated for the innovative tools and solutions they develop to simplify challenges.
TIP offers a remarkable opportunity to showcase these inventive minds and their brilliant applications from theatre technicians around the world, allowing us to celebrate their contributions and share it with the global performance arts community,” said Jacqui George, Project Director of World Stage Design 2025.
Taking place once every four years, WSD spotlights the work of professional and emerging individual designers engaged in live events worldwide.
Co-produced by Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) and OISTAT, the event will feature the WSD Exhibition, Theatre Architecture Competition, Technical Invention Prize, and Scenofest – the dynamic segment of WSD with talks, workshops, immersive activations, and performances.
