The MIDI Association, Music Hackspace, and NAMM have announced the winners of the second annual MIDI Innovation Awards. In a livestreamed show hosted by BBC presenter LJ Rich, the MIDI Innovation Awards jury awarded innovators in five categories, who split a share of over $10,000-worth of prizes.

Athan Billias, president of The MIDI Association, remarked, “MIDI continues to inspire new ideas in the developer community after almost 40 years. We are looking forward to the creativity sparked by MIDI 2.0.”

Category winners

Artistic installations‍

- Tapis Magique: A Choreomusical Interactive Carpet, by Irmandy Wicaksono
- Synthesizer Live MIDI Art, by Gil Assayas
- Leaf Secret, by Rich Thomsen

‍Software prototypes

- MusiKraken, by Markus Ruh
- PhotoSynth > Interface, by Zenon Olenski
- DAWn Audio, by Diego Pinzon

Hardware prototypes

- The Digi-Gurdy: A MIDI Hurdy Gurdy, by John Dingley
- ProtoZOA, by AmeNote Inc
- Knitted Keyboard, by Irmandy Wicaksono

Commercial software

- Fluid Chords, by Krishna Chetan
- GeoShred 5.9, by Pat Scandalis
- Animoog Z, by Moog

Commercial hardware

- SOMI-1, by Instruments of things
- WIDI Core, by CME
- Wind Synthesizer R1, by Robkoo

Find out more about the winners, as well as the judges at this link. The livestream can be watched again on the MIDI Association's YouTube channel here.

Following the success of the inaugural awards, preparations will be underway soon for 2023.

For more information, go to www.midi.org.

[Image above: Markus Ruh demonstrating MusiKraken during the 2022 MIDI Innovation Awards]