Clay Paky Sharpy named Lighting Product of the Year at Broadway Lighting Master Classes

	L to R: Francesco Romagnoli (Clay Paky), Bob Gordon (A.C.T. Lighting) and Marian Sandberg (Live Design)

Clay Paky's new spotlight, the Sharpy, has been named Product of the Year by US entertainment technology magazine, Live Design.

"You'd be extremely hard-pressed to find another fixture on the market right now that produces this much raw output from a head this compact," said one of the judges. "The Sharpy's speed comes close to rivaling that of its moving mirror predecessors."

Another judge said that the Sharpy's output "can stand up in outdoor venues against much larger-scale fixtures."

The awards were presented at a ceremony in New York on May 24, following the Broadway Lighting Master Classes, held annually by Live Design. Clay Paky's Francesco Romagnoli and A.C.T. Lighting's Bob Gordon were on hand to receive the prize from Live Design's editor, Marian Sandberg.

Romagnoli said: "We're absolutely thrilled to receive this latest award. Wherever we show it, the Sharpy makes an immediate impact - not only on industry professionals but also on live audiences who are always impressed by these unique and spectacular beams."

Since launching in January 2011, the fixture has seen action on shows including the Eurovision Song Contest, the NME Awards, BBC's Blue Peter, Sky TV's Oscars Night and is on tour with Take That, Usher, Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, The Foo Fighters and Ricky Martin.

Romagnoli added, "While visiting rental companies, I have seen how enthusiastic everyone is for the Sharpy. All the owners are telling me their new lights are constantly on the road. No sooner are they back from one tour, than they're already being prepared for the next. Just a few months after launch we have several hundred Sharpies on tour in the USA alone. I would like to thank all the lighting designers and rental companies who have put their faith in us, and also ACT Lighting who has done such a great job of promoting and marketing us cross the USA."

Weighing just 13lbs, the tiny 189W Sharpy produces a massive, laser-like beam with an output of almost 60,000 lx at 65.5', the company says. The secret is a new optical design that creates a crisp, perfectly parallel beam -- free of any fuzz or discoloration around the edges.